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HomeMy WebLinkAbout01/12/2017 Strategic Plan Working Group Meeting MARANA AZ E STAB L IS H ED 1977 MARANA TOWN COUNCIL STRATEGIC PLAN WORKING GROUP MEETING 115 5 5 W. Civic Center Dr. Marana, AZ 8 5 6 5 3 Board Room, Marana Municipal Complex January 12, 2017 2:00 p.m. Ed Honea, Mayor David Bowen, Council Member Carol McGorray, Council Member Roxanne Ziegler, Council Member MINUTES CALL TO ORDER: Mayor Ed Honea called the meeting to order at 31:02 p.m. Council Member David Bowen and Council Member Carol McGorray- were present; Council Member Roxanne Ziegler was absent. There was a quorum of listed council members. DISCUSSION/POSSIBLE ACTION Relating to Strategic Planning; presentations and discussion regarding the following topics: Discussion facilitated by Planning Director Ryan Mahoney. I Strategic Plan III status update for the Community focus area: Mr. Mahoney stated that this session of the Strategic Plan working group would not review the current Community Focus area and its corresponding initiatives. He said, it was his intent to allow the council members ample time to consider the fundamentals of the Community focus area and work on to creating new initiatives reflecting of the Town's current needs. 2. Action plans, prqjects, programs and priorities for the Community focus area for Strategic Plan. IV: To help set the stage for discussion, Mr. Mahoney explained that the Town defines community in three parts. First and foremost, the people who live in the Marana create the foundation for community. Second, community is about the geography of the area both its natural environment, but also it's built environment and infrastructure. Mr. Mahoney indicated that the various environments within Marana help to define the 1. Strategic Plan Working Group Meeting Minutes/Administrative Summary 1/12/2017 Town's overall identity. Finally, Mr. Mahoney described community as a combination of civic organizations engaged with Marana residents and the public services provided by the 'town, e.g. public safety and public works. Mr. Mahoney stressed that the definition of a community is multilayered with each part interacting with another. However, the success of the community as a whole is dependent on the financial resources the Town is able to expend. Mr. Mahoney also asked the council members to consider what subcategories, if any, the current community focus area was missing. Council Member McGorray offered parks as an example. Mr. Mahoney responded that parks would be an example of an infrastructure with a service aspect. Council Member Bowen suggested including the idea shared events as a new initiative in the community focus area. He indicated that both Town sponsored events and non-Town sponsored help to create a sense of community for residents and build a sense of identity. Council Member McGorray stated that any initiative related to community should include some consideration of the appropriate level of public safety support. Town Engineer Keith Brann interjected that certainly some residents do take pride in being a member of the community and specifically identifying as a Marana resident, while others do not. Human Resources Director Curry Hale also noted that fostering a. culture of identity as Marana residents does create a sense of community. Mr. Mahoney asked the council members what are some activities that the Town as an organization might do to promote a sense of identity. Mayor Honea responded that the Town does a good job of facilitating a sense of community by working with various community partners from the school district, to the chamber of commerce, to the local food bank ensuring maximum benefit to citizens without a need to "get credit" for the activity. Water Director John Kmiec commented that the `Down's attention to clean facilities and maintaining the roadways also contributes to community identity and encourages residential pride. Council Member McGorray interjected that maintaining clean roadways was important to creating community pride. Mr. Mahoney agreed that focusing on street entrances was important and perhaps needed to be addressed in the strategic plan update. Town Manager Gilbert Davidson stated that every interaction with residents and business owners should be met with excellent customer service because every interaction with the public is a reflection of the "Town's commitment to public service, "Town Clerk Jocelyn Bronson circled back to possible ways to build community by observing that oro valley, Tucson, and Sahuarita support public art prgj ects in their respective corrimunities. Council Member McGorray agreed that public art installations provided joy to citizens. She further stated that Marana should consider providing some additional public art installations in the future. Mr. Mahoney responded that the Town is currently working on an art installation in conjunction. with a local artist up at Dove Mountain. Community Development Director Lisa Shafer provided another example of creating community identity by explaining theTown's relationship with Marana Unified District 2 Strategic:Flan Working Croup Meeting Minutes/Administrative Summary 1/12/2017 to enforce consistent messaging to students regarding civility. For example, the ]Parks and Recreation department displays the same banners that are displayed in the schools advocating for positive behavior and interactions among students. Mr. Mahoney indicated this would be a good example for the Culture sub-category for the Community focus area. Deputy police Chief Reuben Nunez also offered an example of creating a sense of community identity stating the department's moto of"Unparalleled Service, 'Unwavering Protection" is important to the officers who are ambassadors for the Town. Mrs Curry also offered the Town's cultural values as a benchmark for creating a Marana identify and sense of community. Mr. Mahoney transitioned the discussion to focus on breaking down the various topics that define community for the strategic plan. The first topic addressed was infrastructure. Mr. Mahoney specifically asked the council members to consider what are the priorities for infrastructure that need to be addressed including, but not limited to, water, roadways, parks, and the trail system. Mayor Honea commented that infrastructure is one of the Town's greatest assets, but is also one of the Town's biggest needs. He stated that as the Town continues to grow, it must prioritize projects that contribute to the Town's immediate needs. Mayor Honea praised the work currently done to maintain and care for the Town's current infrastructure, but reiterated the need to pick and choose the most important infrastructure projects. Council Member McGorray agreed that prioritizing new infrastructure projects was important, but also insisted that adequately funding the maintenance schedule for existing infrastructure was also important. Mr. Mahoney acknowledged that the Town's ability to construct any new infrastructure is dependent upon the finances available. He explained that staff uses a variety of creative ideas to address infrastructure deficits in the short-term, while planning for long-term solutions. Town Engineer Keith Brann stated that the Town has been smart in assisting in infrastructure needs. However, the Town continues to identify areas that require improvement but lack dedicated funding sources, such as the Barnett Channel. Mayor Honea said that to develop North Marana the Town should again consider evaluating the construction of the Barnett Channel and look at improving Marana Road. Mayor Honea stated that the Town has consistently looked for opportunities to partner with others by creating innovative funding structures to cover the cost of infrastructure development. Additionally, Council Member Bowen commented that the Town should consider funding a comprehensive drainage study of Northern Marana aiming to understanding the implications or possibility flooding and thus plan accordingly. .lair. Mahoney pivoted the conversation towards a discussion of services as he asked the council members to consider the category of services as a whole and identify what are the near future priorities. Mr. Mahoney asked the council members how the Town can improve on its partnerships with other government entities related to public safety responsibilities life fire protection. 3 Strategic Flan Working Group Meeting Minutes/Administrative Summary 1/12/2017 Mayor Honea responded that the Town's current relationships with the fire department and the school district are positive and collaborative. He cited these strong relationships as a contributing factor of Marana9 s steady residential growth. Council Member McGorray stated that not only are the relationships with other agency's good, but the Town's relationship with residents is also good. She cited the extra time staff takes to educate citizens about Marana and its various services, specifically acknowledging the Town Clerk's relationship with the public. Mr. Mahoney clarified that the Town should continue to provide open lines of communication to citizens regarding services. Council Member McGorray agreed and Mayor Hones also commented that the Town's outreach programs, like the Police Citizen Academy, are good ways to engage residents. Mr. Davidson added that the Town should continue to investigate other methods of communication with residents. Mss Shafer commented that the Town's relationships with other community partners are critical to addressing the needs of some of the Town's most vulnerable residents. She indicated that maintaining open lines of communication with residents ensures staff can help connect those citizens to other service support groups. Mr. Mahoney thanked everyone for their contributions related to services, and moved the dialogue onto a discussion of geography. He specifically asked council members to consider the role of annexations and what potential goals are present. Mr. Mahoney stated that Development Services often receives inquiries from individuals who want to annex into the Town because of Marana's reputation. However, with any annexation comes the need to provide services and the Town must conduct a cost-benefit analysis when considering any possible annexation. Mayor Honea agreed that any annexation requires careful consideration when evaluating the cost of providing service to established areas versus the cost of providing services to new development. Mayor Honea stressed that an annexation should provide a future benefit to the community and needs to be tinned just right. He also expressed a desire to see the Town identify annexation areas in North Marana. Mayor Honea specifically mentioned annexation further into Pinal County citing the Town's proximity to Pinal Airpark and the proposed railway switching yard, Mr. Mahoney commented that communities in Pinal County support the Town's General Plan. Mayor Hones stated that the Town's relationship with the Pinal County communities is very friendly and supportive. Following up on the theme of mindful annexations, Ms. Bronson observed that sprawl development without associated commercial consumer amenities could be a detraction for possible residents. Mr. Mahoney agreed that the goal of planning should include a balance of services and land use in areas like Dove Mountain and Gladden Farms. Council Member Bowen commented that he did not understand the rational for 46squaring" boundary lines by annexing up to the edge of per-existing residential. 1�e wondered if there is no incentive to annex residences unless it is to the municipality's advantage, such as controlling the Town's vision. Relating to the idea of annexation, Mr. Mahoney mentioned that the current General Plan needs an update per state statute. He asked council members what is the priority 4 Strategic Plan working Group Meeting Minutes/Administrative Summary 1/12/2017 tirneframe on revising the plan and should it be included in this strategic plan revision. Mayor Honea stated that the Town's General Plan is good and extremely inclusive and helping to define Marana's current growth patterns. However, he expressed concerned about making major changes to `letter zoning" which would take perhaps several years to incorporate into the General Plan. Mr. Mahoney indicated that perhaps including the General Plan in this strategic plan revision would then not be appropriate. Mr. Mahoney circled back around to the concept of people as a foundation to community. He asked the council members to consider what importance should be placed on citizen input and how should the Town address/respond to that input, Mir. Mahoney provided as an example, the use of inmate labor and citizens express concerns when they see the work crews. Council Member IVIcGorray responded that any input from citizens should be evaluated on a whole to determine context. Mayor Honea stated that Town employees have great people skills. He also stated that citizens are happy with services and staff should continue to provide excellent customer service and keep providing open lines of communication with the public. Mayor Honea emphasized the need to continue creating transparency in all actions to maintain citizen confidence in Marana's operations. Mr. Hale stated it was important to have a diverse workforce that mirrors the community. He cited examples of the Police department having positive interactions with citizens in a professional manner. Ms. Safer suggested that the Town should focus more of an effort on creating a strong volunteer workforce to assist with community events and provide individuals an opportunity to contribute to the community. She noted that the Town's website is well designed to encourage community volunteerism with the Town for activities like neighborhood cleanup projects. Council Member McGorray agreed that encouraging volunteers is important because there is an untapped "economy of generosity" among the residents. Mr. Mahoney asked the council members to focus on the Town's relationships with community organizations, specifically asking if there should be a particular emphasis on those partnerships, Mayor Honea re-affirmed that the Town's positive partnership with various community organizations is one of Marana's greatest assets. He recognized that the Town and community organizations benefit from these successful relationships. Mayor Honea encouraged staff to continue looking for community partners as a way to enrich the community. Mr. Mahoney asked the council members if there were additional community organizations outside of the Town that the Town should try to create a relationship with. Mayor Honea indicated that business and service organizations in Pinal County would be appropriate because of the Town's proximity to the Pinal County Airfield. Police Chief Terry Rozema said that from a policing perspective, the department does not have very strong relationships with social service organizations outside of the Town. As the 'town sees an influx of homeless, drug addiction, and other behavioral health 5 Strategic flan working Group Meeting Minutes/Adininistrative Summary 111212417 issues, we need to improve the relationships with social service groups that can benefit these vulnerable populations. Mr. Mahoney shifted the discussion to finances and asked what are the funding properties related to community, Mayor Honea pointed to the successful passage of the $0.50 sales tax for the police facility as an example of an innovative method to pay for the facility. Mr. Brann stated it is important to make savvy deals with developers where the Town is not restricted regarding timeframe and project costs. Mr. Davidson stated it was very important for the Town to protect itself when entering into development agreements in regards to construction sales tax. He added that it was essential for the Town to minimize its debt and work on improving our bond rating. Mr. Brann agreed that development agreements must have language protecting the Town with regards to construction sales tax. Mayor Honea stated that as the Town enters agreements, it should be cautious about possible downturns in the economy and be conservative in the element of risk associated with the development agreements. Mr. Mahoney agreed that there is always an element of risk and the Town is certainly more realistic about possible downturns than before the last recession. Ms. Shafer stated investment in a full-time or contract professional grant writer would be benefit to the Town. She indicated the Town does not have the time or manpower to seek new grant opportunities while also managing and maintaining the Town's current grants that extend over multiple years. Council Member Bowen asserted that once the Town finishes construction of any capital improvement project, the Town should factor in the on-going maintenance costs for that asset. Mr. Mahoney clarified that there is a consideration of the life cycle cost when projects are planned and executed. Mr. Davidson stated that for large enough projects, the Town should insist on implementing a community facility district to help generate some revenue to maintain the roads and parks within that development. Mr. Mahoney asked the council members to consider any additional goals for the strategic plan revision. Mr. Davidson reminded the council members that the Town would need to develop a sewer and water master plan focused on identifying future capacity issues and other "pinch points in the system as the sewer plant is upgraded. Chief Rozema expressed concerns that most neighborhoods are similar in density with smaller lot sizes and lack visual variety. The Chief also indicated the inclusion of developments with varying lot sizes would help attract new residents, Council Member McGorray expressed concern that the developments are starting to look a little "cookie- cutter". Mr. Mahoney indicated that the land development code meetings have started to address that concern. He assured the council members that revision of the land development code would have the inclusion of various lot sizes from smaller to larger as a way to attract a diverse range of residents. Mr. Mahoney also stated that larger lots with acreage that has 6 Strategic Plan Working Group Meeting Minutes/Administrative Surnmary 1/12/2017 irrigation, or sceptic, or other infrastructure would be ideal in North Marana and would have a positive economic development on for the Town. ADJOURNMENT: Mayor Honea adjourned the meeting at 5:00 p.m. CERTIFICATION: I hereby certify that the foregoing is the true and correct minutes of the public session of the Strategic Plan Working Group Meeting held on January 12, 2017. 1 further certify that a quorum of the listed council members was present at this meeting. I dQI Hilarl H. Hier.) De uty Town Clerk Y uty wil. ARANA"k' AZ OSTA D L I S MED 1977 7 Strategic Plan Working Group Meeting Minutes/Administrative Summary 1/12/2017