HomeMy WebLinkAbout2020-12-01 City Council Regular MinutesCity of Apache Junction, Arizona
Tuesday, December 1 , 2020
A. CALL TO ORDER
Meeting Minutes
City Council Meeting
7 :00 PM
Mayo r Serdy called the council meeting to ord e r at 7 :00 p.m .
B. INVOCATION AND PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE
Meeting location :
City Council Cha mbers
at Ci ty Hall
300 E. Superstition Blvd
Apache Jun ct ion , AZ
85 11 9
www.ajcity.net
Ph: (480) 982 -8002
City Coun cil Chambers
Vice Mayor W ilson gave the i nvocation and Councilmember Struble led the meeting attendees in
the Pledge of Alleg iance.
C. ROLL CALL
Present: 7 -Mayor Serdy
Vice Mayor Wi lson
Cou ncil membe r Barker
Councilm embe r Eva ns
Councilm em ber R izzi
Councilm ember S chroede r
Councilmembe r S tru ble
Staff in Attend a n ce:
Bryant Powell , City Manager
Matt Busby, Ass istant City Manage r
Joel Stern , City Attorney
Jenn ifer Pena , C ity Clerk
Al Bravo , Publ ic Information Officer
Thomas Kelly, Ch ief of Pol ice
Larry Kirch , Development Serv ices Director
Rudy Esqu iv ias, Plann ing Manage r
Kendra E ll ner, P lanning Intern
Mike Wever, Publ ic Works Director
Keith Bedwell , Publ ic Works Fleet
Liz Riley, Human Resources Director
Ji ll Bright, Dep uty Ci ty Clerk (rem ote ly )
D. CONSENT AGENDA
Cou n cilme m ber Evans mov ed, seconded by Vi ce Mayor W ilson th at the con sent agenda b e
accepted as prese nted , that award of cont ract be give n to Vi as un Corporation for construction of
cu rbin g for se l ec t m e dians on Apache Trail through th e Pinal County coope ra tive contract No.
175623 in the amount of $279 ,456 .32 with a 10% co ntingency fo r a t ota l proj ect cost not to exceed
$307,401.95 , that approva l be given for the agreeme nt with Arizona Republi c fo r legal a dvertisin g
from J an uary 1, 2021 th ro ugh Dece mb er 31 , 2021 a nd t hat Reso lution No. 20-40 a res o l ution of the
Mayor and City Co un c il of the City of Apa c h e Junction , Pinal and Maricopa Co unti es Arizona ,
City of A pache Junction, Arizo na Page 1
City Council Meeting Meeting Minutes December 1, 2020
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
declaring and adopting the results of the general election held on November 3, 2020 , be
approved.
20 -612
20 -613
20-621
20-548
20-633
Yes:
No :
Consideration of acceptance of agenda .
Consideration of approva l of minutes of the regula r meet in g of November 17,
2020 .
Consideration of approval of contract to V iasun Corporat ion fo r t he
construction of cu rb ing fo r se lect medians on Apache Trail. The work w ill
beg in in early 2021 and w ill be through Pinal County cooperat ive job order
Contract No . 175623 in the amount of $279,456 .32 , plus a 10% contingency
for unforeseen change orders in the amount of $27 ,945.63 for a total proj ect
cost not to exceed $307 ,40 1.95 . T he work w ill res ult in curbing to facilitate
roadway drainage and protection to the Apache Tra il median beautification
improvements.
Cons ideration of a legal advertising agreement with Arizon a Republic fo r a
one year period from January 1, 2021 to Dec ember 31 , 2021 . There is no
price increase from the 2020 agreement.
Consideration for approval of Resolut ion No . 20-40 , a resolution of the Ma yor
and City Council of the City of Apache Junction , P in al and Maricopa Counties ,
Ariz on a, declaring and adopting the results of th e general election held on
November 3, 2020 .
7-Mayor Serdy , Vice Mayor Wilson , C ouncilmember Ba rke r, Councilm ember
Evans , Counc ilmemb er Ri zzi, Councilm ember Schroeder and Counci lmember
Struble
0
E. AWARDS, PRESENTATIONS AND PROCLAMATIONS
6. 20 -481 Presentation of 40-year Service Award to Ke ith Bedwell of the Publ ic Works
Department.
City Manager Bryant Powell and Publ ic Works Director Mike Wever presen ted a 40 yea r service
award to Keith Bedwell , fleet division employee in the Pub lic Works Department.
F. ANNOUNCEMENT OF CURRENT EVENTS
7 . 20-614 Announcement of current events from mayor a nd councilmembers.
Cou nci lmember Struble shared that Proj ect Showers is this Sunday at the Salv at ion Army.
Open Mic Night is th is Friday night at Table of Grace Church. January 9t h is the 3rd Annual AJ
Prayer Walk.
Councilmember Evans shared that the Apache Junct ion CDC had a board meet ing th is last
week. Last month they completed 2 plant ing projects on Make a Difference Day. In Apri l , they
will start o n the Field of Dreams in front of the Boys & Girls Club. The Chamber will also be
helping the CDC in getting the word out in the commun ity on these projects.
Councilmember Ba rker reminded the community of the reverse ho lida y parade th is Saturda y
City of Apache Junction, Ari zona Page 2
City Counc il Meeting Mee t ing M in u tes Decembe r 1, 2020
near Flatiron Park.
Councilmember Schroeder hoped everyo ne had a Happy Thanksgiving .
Council member Rizzi shared that there is a great need this year and if you have the a bility to
give something it makes a difference for those in need.
Mayor Serdy shared that Gold Canyon Country Club ra ised $30 ,000 .00 for the Superstition Food
Bank.
G. CITY MANAGER'S REPORT
8.
9.
10 .
11 .
20-615 City Manager's Report.
City Manager Bryant Powell shared that this Saturday is the reverse holiday parade near Flatiron
Par k and thanked Parks and Recreation for keeping t his tradition alive during these tough times .
The annua l employee engagement breakfast and tr ivi a contest is next Thursday and council is
invited to participate as always . Mr. Powel l reminded council that there will be a light agenda on
January 5th as the new counci l is sworn in therefore the January 19th council meeting agenda
will be heavy.
20-617 Presentation, d iscussion and update on the first quarter financial report .
Assistant City Manager Matt Busby reported on the revenues that were brought in and expenses
that went out during the first quarter of the fiscal year. All of the data is right whe re it should be
and there are no concerns.
20 -618 Presentat ion , discussion and update on the 2020 and 2021 Citizen
Leadership I nstitute classes .
Public Information Officer Al Bravo reported that the Cit izen Leadership Institute consists of
about 9 classes each year. The 2020 c lass will conclude at the end of December and the 2021
class w ill start January 13th in the council chambers .
20-597 Presentation and discussion of the US Census efforts utilized in the area .
Public In fo rmation Officer A l Bravo reported that the 2020 US Census was tough due to
Coronavirus but extra work was done to get the information out to the co mmunity. The response
rate in Apache Junction was about 53% and then with the help of the US Census we eventually
reached a 99% reporting rate .
H. PUBLIC HEARINGS
12. 20 -624 Presentation , discussion , public hearing and consideration of proposed
Ordinance No. 1499 (case PZ-7 -19), a city-initiated rezon ing of a 2 .37-acres
property located at 978 E. Roosevelt Street, from General Rural Low Density
Single-family Detached Residential ("RS-GR") to Medium Density
Single-family Detached Residential by Planned Development ("RS-20/PD") for
the purpose of crea t ing land split and development opportunities.
Vice May o r Wilso n m oved , secon ded by Counci lm em be r Eva n s t h at Ordina n ce N o. 14 99 be
co n t inu ed to th e Jan u ary 19th C ity Co un ci l m eet i n g as th e Pl a nnin g a nd Zo nin g Commissio n
co ntin u ed t h e case t o th ei r next meetin g o n Decem ber 8 , 2020, whe re th ey wo u ld p resent two
ad d itio na l lot sp lit opt io n s.
City of A pache Jun ction, A rizon a Page 3
City Co un c il Meetin g Meeting Minutes December 1, 2020
Yes:
N o:
7 -
0
Mayor Serdy , Vice Mayor Wilson , Councilmember Barke r, Councilm ember
Eva ns , Councilmember Rizz i, Counc ilmember Schroeder and Councilmember
Struble
Plann ing Intern Kendra Ellner presented that this is a city initiated rezoning for a 2 .37 acre
property located at 978 E. Roosevelt Street. This property was abandoned for several years
while the own er lived in Germany . With cooperat ion of the owner, the city was able to remove
non-conforming structures and trespassers and the owner eventua lly did not w ish to deal with it
anymore so they donated the property to the city . Staff is proposing to rezone it from General
Ru ral Low Density Single Family Detached Residentia l to Med ium Density Single Fam ily
Detached Residential by Plann ed Dev elopment in order to bring the property into conform a nce
with th e surround ing neighborhood inclu ding allowing for a land sp lit and horse privileges on
property.
T he Plann ing & Zon i ng Commi ssion requested a continuance on this rezoning and city staff is
recommendin g th is item come ba ck to council on January 19th after the Planning and Zoning
Commi ssion has made a recommendation .
Development Services Director Larry Kirch explained that staff would like to see the proceeds to
go to the Community Development Corporation.
Mayor Serdy opened the publ ic hearing.
George Schroeder, 2444 W. Vi rg inia Street, stated that he was personally involved in this
property and doesn't know why the city dragged its feet. He thinks it should be separated into 2
lots and that there should be a minimum acreage for horses to be permitted .
Jeff Barlett, 108 N. Merid ian Drive, stated that he thinks the property should be split down the
middle and the city shou ld support horse property .
Mehmood Mohiuddin , 2341 N. Apache T rail , suggests that this property be spl it into two
properties . He th inks residents should be able to have as many horses as t hey want.
Mayor Serdy closed the public hearing.
I. OLD BUSINESS
J . NEW BUSINESS
13. 20-620 Presentation , discussion and approval on proposed Resolution No. 20-42
authorizing the city to enter into an intergovernmental agreement w ith
Maricopa County for use of Maricopa County Sheriffs Office Basic Train ing
Academy .
Councilmember Rizzi moved, seco nd ed by Co un ci lmembe r Evans to approve Reso l uti on No .
20-42 authorizing the c ity to ente r into a n inte r gove rnm enta l ag ree m ent with Mari copa County fo r
use of M aricopa County Sheriffs Offi ce Ba s ic Trainin g A cademy .
City of Apache Junction, Arizona Page 4
City Council Meeting Meeting M in utes December 1, 2020
14.
15.
Yes: 7-M ayor Serdy , Vice Mayor W ilson , Council member Ba rker, Co uncilmember
Evans , Counc ilmem ber Rizzi, Councilm ember Sch roede r and Cou nci l member
Struble
No : 0
Ch ief Ke lly presented that this intergove rnmental agreement with Maricopa County Sheriffs
Office will a ll ow ci ty sworn officers use of their Basic Trai ning Acade my. The police department
currently uses Mesa but is look ing for more options to ensure that the re are enough spots for
the upcoming officers being hired . Mr. Kelly explained that it takes about a year for an officer to
co mplete bas ic training and to patrol the streets by themselves .
20-64 5 Presentation , discuss ion, and approva l on proposed Reso luti on No. 20-43
authorizing the city to enter into an intergovernmental agreement with the
Town of Mammoth for transfer of used law enforcement equ ipment.
Vice Mayor Wilson moved , seconded by Councilmember Evans to approve Resolution No. 20-43
authorizing the city to enter into an intergovernmental agreement with the Town of Mammoth for
the transfer of Apache Junction 's used law enforcement equipment.
Yes : 7 -Mayor Serdy , Vice Mayor Wilson , Councilmem ber Barke r, Councilmember
Evans , Councilmember Rizz i, Council member Schroeder and Coun cilmem ber
Struble
No: 0
Ch ief Kell y presented that our pol ice department has outdate d traffi c enforcement equipment
that is no lo nger of use and Mam moth Po lice Department has an interest in using th is
equipment. This intergovernmental agreement will allow for the exchange of equipment and
allow for future exchanges to be perm itted .
20-623 Considerat io n of two appointments to the Planning and Zoning Commission .
Counci l interv iewed applicants for th is position at the November 30th work
session an d may take this opportun ity to fill the v aca ncies .
Vice Mayor Wilson moved , seconded by Councilmember Evans to appoint Richard Cantwell to the
Planning and Zoning Commission for a term to expire on October 31 , 2021. (Fulfilling a vacancy
due to Shirley Ooley's resignation).
Motion passed 5 -1.
Councilmember Rizzi moved, seconded by Councilmember Schroeder to appoint Mehmood
Mohiuddin to the Planning and Zoning Commission for a term to expire on October 31 , 2022.
(Fulfilling a vacancy due to Mike McGraw 's resignation)
Motion failed with a tie of 3-3.
Councilmember Evans moved , seconded by Vice Mayor to appoint Robin Barker to the Planning
and Zoning Commission for a term to expire on October 31 , 2022. (Fulfilling a vacancy due to
Mike McGraw 's resignation)
Motion passed 4-2.
Councilmember Barker recu sed he rself from the conversat ion and vote as she is an appl ica nt
for the commiss io n .
Council member Rizzi shared that the counci l received a lot of great candidates and it is a tough
City of Apache Junction, Arizona Page 5
City Council Meeting Me et i ng Min utes December 1, 2020
choice and doesn't want the applicants to tak e it personal.
K . COUNCIL DIRECTION TO STAFF
16.
17.
20-636 Council direction to staff on amending cargo container regulations in the city 's
zoning code.
Vice Mayor Wilson moved , seconded by Councilmember Schroeder to direct staff to look at th e
a bility to allow cargo containers on l ots in the ci ty based o n lot sizes and what ca n be us ed and
what n eeds to be done to a cargo co ntainer to try and neutralize it.
Yes :
No :
5-
2 -
Mayor Serdy , Vice Mayor Wilson, Councilmember Rizzi , Councilmember
Schroeder and Councilmember Struble
Cou ncilm ember Barker a nd Co uncilm ember Evans
Councilmember Evans explained her disapproval of cargo conta in ers being permitted on
residential property .
Co un cilmem ber Rizzi disagreed w ith Councilmember Evans and thinks that cargo containers
should be allowed and the city should just regulate them .
Vice Mayor Wilson explained that carg o containe rs are very secure. He believes th e city should
allow them and regul ate them.
Co uncilmember Bar ker confirmed that this discussion is about allow ing ca rgo contain ers on lots
sma ll er then an acre and a quarter.
Deve lopment Services Director Larry Kirch explained that the city currently regulates cargo
con tainers by residents being required to apply for a permit. The ci ty looks for set back and
landscape requirements . Mr. Kirch explained that 90% of lots w ith cargo containers are code
cases because they do not get a perm it or follow requirements .
Mayor Serdy stated that the artist that built the kachina stored his very expensive art materials in
a cargo container because of how secure it is .
Councilmember Evans explained that there are other options for storage and wishes to leave
the ordinance as it is.
20-64 0 Presentation, di scussio n and di rectio n to staff on the possib le c reati on of a
draft ordi nan ce relat ing to the regula ti on of recreational marijuana , as a ll owed
by th e voter's approva l of th e "Smart and Safe Arizona A ct", possib ly using the
mod el ordinance language provided by the League of Ar izona Ci t ies and
T owns . T his item was con t i nued from the city council meeting of November
17 , 2020 , wherein council asked for more information about what o ther cities
are doing .
Coun ci lme mber Rizzi moved , seconded by May or Serdy to d i r ect staff to allow existing
dispensaries to b ecome dual l icensees : requ i re CUP amendment process , operate under the
sa m e rules as existi ng dispe nsaries , allow recreational marijuana sa l es too , but no cu ltivat i on or
processing , allow medical mariju a na to co nv ert to rec reational marijuana through CUP
amendment, th e code t o still allow for medical m a riju ana c ultivation an d infusion kitchen s.
Mo t ion pa ssed 6 -1.
Ci ty of Ap ache Jun c tio n, Arizona Pag e 6
City Co uncil Meetin g Meet ing M in u t es Decem be r 1, 2 020
Coun c ilmem ber Eva ns m o ti oned to a dd on to Cou n cil m e m be r Rizzi 's mo t ion th at ma r ij uan a be
treated l i ke reta i l and liqu or st o res i n t he B-1, B-2 a nd B -3 z on es.
Amended moti o n pa sse d 4 -3.
P lanning Manager Rudy Esqu ivias answered questions that counc il h ad at last ni gh t's work
session on th is item . Dual li censees will not be requ i red to have separate entrances or areas for
medica l and recreational sales . Citizens under the age of 21 will not be allowed to go into
recreat ional mar ijuana estab li shments but they may go into a medica l mar ij uana estab lish m ent.
A residence may grow up to 6 plants in their home per person living in the home. A felon can get
a med ical marij uana card and marij uana establ ishments w ill likely not perform i ndividual
background checks .
Counc ilmember Strub le expressed his disl ike of the approval of recreational marijua na.
L SELECTION OF MEETING DATES , TIMES , LOCAT IONS , AND PURPOSES
18 . 20-616 Execut i ve Session at 6 :00 P .M . and Wor k Session at 7 :00 P .M . fo r Monday ,
December 14 and Tuesday December 15, 2020 be he ld in the city council
conference roo m and city council chambers located at 30 0 E . Su perst itio n
Boulevard , Apache Junction , Ar iz ona , respect ivel y; and other meetings if
necessary.
Cou n ci lm em b er Evan s moved, se conded by Co u ncilmem be r Strubl e th at a n Ex ecu t ive Sessio n at
6 :00 P.M. an d W o rk Ses s i o n at 7:00 P.M. for Mo n day , De ce mb e r 14, 20 20 and th at an Execu tive
Sessio n at 6:00 P.M. a nd Wo r k Sess i o n at 7 :00 P .M . fo r Tu esday, December 5 , 2020 be held in t h e
ci ty co un c i l co nfe re n ce roo m a nd ci ty co unc il c h am b ers loca t ed at 300 E. Su pers ti tion Bo u levar d ,
A p ac h e Jun ction , A ri zo na, respective ly ; and o th e r me eti n gs i f necessary.
Yes:
No :
7 -
0
Mayor Serdy , V ice Mayor Wi lson , Coun cil member Ba rker, Co uncil mem ber
Evans, Councilmem ber Ri zzi, Coun cil member Schroeder and Councilmem ber
Struble
M. CALL TO PUBLIC
George Schroeder , 2444 W . Virginia Street in Apache Junction, stated that code enforcem ent
already isn 't d oi ng the ir j obs . H im and h is w i fe shouldn 't both be c ha rged for not hav ing trash . He
is not going to have or pay for trash . It isn't legal and he's not hav ing garbage service .
N. ADJOURNMENT
Mayor Se rd y ad j o u rne d th e co un ci l m eetin g at 8:40 p m .
ACCEPTED T HI S s · DAY OF JM ua_~./ , 202~. BY THE MAYOR
AND CITY COUNCIL O F THE C ITY OF APACHE JUN CT ION , ARIZO NA.
SIGNED AND ATTESTED TO THIS __ s __ DAY OF ~uafi. y'
City of Apache Juncti on, Arizon a
JEFF SERDY
Mayo r
Pag e 7
. 202 b.
City Council Meeting
ATTEST:
JENNIFER PENA
C ity Clerk
Meeting Minutes
CITY CO UN CI L MINUTE S
C ERTIFI CATION
De cember 1, 2020
I hereby certify that the foregoing minutes are a true and correct copy o f the minutes of the
regular7eeting of the City Council of the City of Apache Junction , Arizona , held on the
____ day of J2tl. c, o;n bM , 2020. I f urther certify that the meeting was duly
ca ll ed and held and that a quorum was present.
Dated th is __ S ___ day of J (Vl uo..A.t '2024 .
JENNIFER E
City Cler k
City of Apac h e Junction, Arizona Page 8