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HomeMy WebLinkAbout08/19/2003 Regular Council Meeting MinutesMINUTES OF REGULAR COUNCIL SLEETING MARANA TOWN HALL ...AUGUST 19, 2003 I. II. III. IV. V. PLACE AND DATE Marana Town Hall, August 19, 2003 CALL TO ORDER By Vice Mayor Kai at 7:03 p.m. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE Led by Vice Mayor Kai INVOCATION/MOMENT OF SILENCE An invocation was given by Brad DeSpain ROLL CALL COUNCIL Bobby Sutton, Jr. Mayor Excused Herb Kai Vice Mayor Present Jim Blake Council Member Present Patti Comerford Council Member Present Tim Escobedo Council Member Present Ed Honea Council Member Present Carol McGorray Council Member Present STAFF Michael Reuwsaat Town Manager Present Frank Cassidy Town Attorney Present Jocelyn Bronson Town Clerk Present Jim DeGrood Development Services Administrator Present Jaret Barr Assistant to the Town Manager Present Joel Shapiro Planning Director Present Roy Cuaron Finance Director Present Attached is a list of public attendees. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Upon motion by Council Member Honea, seconded by Council Member Escobedo, the agenda was unanimously approved. 1 MINUTES OF REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING I~~iARANA~TOWN HALL AUGUST 19 2003 VI. ACCEPTANCE OF MINUTES Upon motion by Council Member Blake, seconded by Council Member McGorray, the minutes of the August 5 , 2003 regular Council meeting were unanimously approved. VII. CALL TO THE PUBLIC/ANNOUNCEMENTS Ed Stolmaker, Chamber of Commerce Executive Director, reported on happenings at the Chamber and gave a brief summary of its quarterly report. He said that the Board's retreat, held July 11, 2003, had produced several guidelines for improving the Chamber's success in the business community and included the following: 1. Take a more vigorous approach to the Chamber's financial management 2. Develop mechanisms to improve consistent communications between the Town and the Chamber 3. Develop the membership pool and devise methods to increase the value of the membership to the area's businesses ~~ 4. Develop marketing strategies 5. Provide membership with events and activities that make good business sense Mr. Stolmaker said that a recently formed membership development committee would evaluate the membership by comparing actual business license holders to the chamber membership. He reported that the committee believed the comparison results would be significant and would be used to prepare the next step of the process, distributing a survey to all members and businesses in Marana. He indicated that part of the chamber's financial management plan would be the survey results as growth of the chamber was an essential part of its financial stability. He reported that a building committee had also been formed and had studied the future plans for the Chamber building and the possibility of relocating. He said that this committee, consisting of Council Member Honea, Council Member Escobedo, four board members and one chamber member, was unanimously in favor of becoming part of the Marana Heritage Park. The director continued by reporting that the Chamber's visitors center was a key component of the chamber and that Krista Nelson of OroGraphics and GSR Metal Works, volunteered to develop a plan to remodel the center. He stated that he was working with local businesses that could provide the necessary supplies and fixtures for the remodeling effort and with Chamber members able to . ~.. volunteer time on the remodeling effort. 2 MINUTES OF REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING MARANA TOWN HALL AUGUST 19, 2003 He said that the center had experienced a substantial loss in the last quarter compared to last year and that the visitor's sign, previously located at the Pima/Final Counties line on I-10, was no longer in place. He did not have any information as to the reason the sign was taken down but noted that he was working with the Arizona Department of Transportation regarding this matter. He plans to inform the Council on the progress regarding the placement of this sign. Mr. Stolmaker thanked the Mayor and Council, the department heads, and the Town employees for a warm welcome to his new position. He ended by listing three new goals of the Chamber's Board of Directors. These goals included implementing a financial management plan, membership development, and better communication with the Town Council. Brad DeSpain spoke before the Council in order to introduce a new Water department employee, Jerry Harris. He mentioned that Mr. Harris had managed the Cortaro/Marana Irrigation District's potable water system for many years. VIII. STAFF REPORTS There were no questions regarding the staff reports. IX. GENERAL ORDER OF BUSINESS A. CONSENT AGENDA 1. Resolution No. 2003-82: Intergovernmental Agreement between the Town of Marana and the University of Arizona to extend and amend membership in the Water Conservation Alliance of Southern Arizona (Brad DeSpain) 2. Resolution No. 2003-88: San Lucas Final Block Plat: An application for approval of a Final Block Plat fora 291.97 acre Master Planned Development located east of I-10, north of Adonis Road, and west of the CAP canal, in a portion of Section 22, Range 11 East, and Township 11 South (Joel Shapiro) 3. Resolution No. 2003-93: Acceptance of Dove Mountain Boulevard Phase IV into the Town of Marana Streets Maintenance System (Farhad Moghimi) 4. Resolution No. 2003-87: Issuance of Quit Claim Deeds in Honea Heights (Jim DeGrood) 3 MINUTES OF REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING MAR<4NA TOWN HALL AUGUST 19, 2003 5. Resolution No. 2003-92: Issuance of Quit Claim Deeds to Tucson Water; Wellsite Y-004 (Jim DeGrood) 6. Resolution No. 2003-94: Acceptance of a Grant Agreement between the FAA and the Town of Marana for the installation of perimeter fence and to complete pavement maintenance at Marana Northwest Regional Airport (Charlie Mangum) Upon motion by Council Member Escobedo, seconded by Council Member Blake, the consent agenda was unanimously approved. B. COUNCIL ACTION 1. Resolution No. 2003-91: Authorization to enter into an Intergovernmental Agreement with the Marana Unified School District (MUSD) in which the Town will receive portable buildings in exchange for educational services (Farhad Moghimi) Mr. Reuwsaat presented this item before the Council. He gave a brief outline of the intergovernmental agreement which would allow the Town to take possession of three portable modular buildings from the Marana Unified School District (MUSD) in exchange for educational services. He said that the Town would provide MUSD with public educational benefits such as guided archaeological site tours for each District school during each school year to a site in the Cortaro/District Park. He remarked that last year the Towri s archaeology program had received the Governor's Public Archaeology Award and that Old Pueblo Archaeology had performed the award-winning work. He explained that issues related to the cactus ferruginous pygmy owl and the U.S. Army Core of Engineers were impeding plans for an archaeology center at the Cortaro/District park site but that the Town wanted to continue with its offering of public archaeological educational programs as a benefit to the residents. Mr. Reuwsaat recommended approval of the proposed Council action. Upon motion by Council Member McGorray, seconded by Council Member Blake, Resolution No. 2003-91 was unanimously approved. 2. Resolution No. 2003-89: Authorization to enter into an Agreement with Old Pueblo Archaeology Center, a non-profit organization, for educational services to be provided by Old Pueblo Archaeology Center to the Town of Marana and MUSD in exchange for portable buildings for use by Old Pueblo at the Town of Marana Operations Center (Farhad Moghimi) 4 MINUTES OF REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING i~IARANA TOWN HALL AUGUST 19,.2003 Mr. Reuwsaat addressed the Council regarding this item and explained that this agreement was the continuation of the previous agenda action. He said that Old Pueblo Archaeology Center would be providing the educational services to the MUSD schools. Upon motion by Council Member Honea, seconded by Council Member Blake, Resolution No. 2003-89 was unanimously approved. 3. PUBLIC HEARING: Ordinance No. 2003.19 - Sanders and Moore Rezone: Request by Susan Hernandez and SC Ranch Holdings, L.L.C. to rezone approximately 40 acres of land from "A" (Small Lot Zone) to "R-6" (Single Family Residential/6000 sq. ft. minimum lot size) and "NC" (Neighborhood Commercial) creating 30 acres for future residential use and a 10-acre commercial parcel. The Subject property is generally located at the northeast corner of Sanders Road and Moore Road, within Section 28, Township 11 South, Range 11 East (Joel Shapiro) Upon motion by Council Member Escobedo, seconded by Council Member Blake, unanimous approval to go into public hearing was given. Joel Shapiro spoke before the Council regarding this item. He gave a brief outline of the rezone request and said that the proposed project conformed to the Marana General Plan guidelines as well as the area plan. He informed the Council that this request had been properly advertised and, to date, no objections from the public had been received. He added that the Planning Commission had unanimously approved the rezone request and recommended approval of the request with the 19 listed conditions. These conditions, contained within the text of the ordinance, included such requirements as Subdivision Design Standards compliance at the time of development, fair share contributions for parks and schools, and surveying for archaeological resources. Council Member Escobedo inquired about whether several residences located within the project area were also included in this rezone request. Carl Winters, representing the applicant, responded that the property owners in question had been approached on being included in the proposed effort but had chosen not to participate. 5 MINUTES OF REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING MARANA TOWN HALL` AUGUST 19, 2003 Council Member Honea asked about specific timelines that might be in place for the development project. Mr. Winters replied that a definite timeline had not been formed but that the residential portion of the project would probably begin soon with the commercial portion following within the next five years. Mr. Reuwsaat interjected that there was a five year sunset clause on commercial land development. Vice Mayor Kai asked about the home owners meeting and Mr. Winters replied that, out of 8 or 10 attendees, there were no objections lodged against the proposed rezone request. Upon motion by Council Member Comerford, seconded by Council Member Blake, unanimous approval to come out of public hearing was given. Upon motion by Council Member Honea, seconded by Council Member Escobedo, Ordinance 2003.19 with the recommended conditions was unanimously approved. 4. PUBLIC HEARING: Ordinance No. 2003 20 -Saguaro Ranch Rezone: Request to rezone approximately 75 acres located north of Moore Road and east of Thornydale Road in a portion of Section 29, Township 11 South, Range 13 East, from "C" (Large Lot Zone), to "R-144" (Residentia1,144,000 square feet per lot) (Joel Shapiro) Upon motion by Council Member Comerford, seconded by Council Member McGorray, approval to go into public hearing was unanimous. Mr. DeGrood addressed the Council regarding this rezone request. He gave a brief outline of the item and said that the listed conditions were grouped according to their application. He explained that the first 16 conditions were, for the most part, performance standards and would substantially limit the amount of grading to the property. He reviewed several of the conditions for the audience. He remarked that building height had been limited to a maximum of 18 feet above the grade and that requirements for landscape salvage plans to be performed on each lot was a condition that would not ordinarily be required. 6 MINUTES OF REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING M:~RANA TOWNHALL AUGUST 19, 2003 He said that any slope exceeding more than four feet in height was to be specially treated in a way that it would be viewed as an indigenous slope rather than as a constructed man-made slope and would include the use of extensive vegetation as well as special treatment of the surface. He continued by stating that Condition 17 required the submission of a site- specific vegetation inventory and landscape plan prepared by a Registered Landscape Architect or Biologist, which would extend a minimum of 50 feet beyond the proposed limits of any disturbance. He pointed out that penalty clauses dealing with remedies for over grading were in place as well as requirements for coloring of structures, roof treatments, and mechanical equipment screening. He informed the Council that a supplemental condition, Condition 17.u, had been added after the distribution of the Council packets. Jack Anderson, area property owner, spoke before the Council and said that he was in favor of this project. He commented that this development was of a top notch quality. He noted that his property was contiguous to the northern boundary of the project and that he wholeheartedly supported the entire plan. He urged the Council to approve the request. Frank Cassidy continued the clarification of Condition 17.u and commented that the proposed ordinance previously distributed in the Council packet was slightly different than the ordinance being presented for approval at this meeting. He explained that several language changes and clarifications had been made. He indicated that the first 16 conditions applied to the 75 acre rezoning site and that the 17~ condition required the developer to place covenants, conditions and restrictions (CC&Rs) over the entire 1, 033.5 acre project. He informed the Council that a subparagraph, (17. u), had been added and made all of the substantive requirements of Conditions 1 through 16 required for the entire project. He continued by outlining several other corrections and clarifications made to the ordinance. He explained that Condition 9 was changed to accommodate the provision of an elevator. He said that the language was altered in order to provide a clearer reading of the requirement and to indicate that it applied to each individual location. 7 MINUTES OF REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING MARANA TOWN HALL AUGUST 19, 2003 Tom Schramski, area resident, spoke before the Council regarding this item. He thanked the Council and Town staff for being especially open to questions and concerns brought forth by the neighboring property owners. He said that, although he was not totally opposed to this development, he did have a number of significant concerns. He asked that the Council deny the rezone request or, at the least, delay it in order to investigate these concerns more thoroughly. He said that, in his opinion, long term implications were associated with the overall project and that it was unnecessary for the property to be rezoned at a11. He suggested that the proper zoning designation was RD-180, Rural Development, because of the project's location within the midst of other natural desert properties. He added that he appreciated the numerous restrictions placed by the Town on the project and urged the Town to continue exercising vigilance over the project. Jaret Barr thanked Mr. Schramski for voicing his concerns and for his kind words in support of the Town staff. He addressed some of the issues raised by the area resident and interjected that the developer had been more than accommodating regarding all of the issues the Town has brought forth, especially on the rezone request. Upon motion by Council Member Escobedo, seconded by Council Member Honea, unanimous approval to go out of public hearing was given. Upon motion by Council Member Honea, seconded by Council Member McGorray, Ordinance No. 2003.20 with new verbiage was unanimously approved. Mr. Reuwsaat commended Mr. Barr and the other Town staff on the outstanding efforts made on this project. 5. Resolution No. 2003-90• Skyranch Preliminary Plat: A request for approval of a Preliminary Plat for a single family subdivision of 365 homes, Block "A", and Parcel "A", on approximately 512.5 acres within the Skyranch Specific Plan area, located at the southeast corner of Tangerine Road and Camino de Oeste, within Section 6, Township 12 South, Range 11 East (Shapiro) MINUTES OF REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING ~1ARANA` TOWN HALL AUGUST 19, 203 Mr. DeGrood presented this item before Council and gave a short synopsis of the project. He said that nine conditions were associated with the preliminary plat approval and that Condition 9 which addressed the housing product mix, did not yet identify the specific type of housing product planned for the subdivision but that restrictive language was in place that limited the number of two-story homes and required a twenty foot minimum separation between primary structures exceeding twenty- fivefeet. He noted that the remaining conditions largely articulated requirements that were contained within the rezoning process. He said that the transportation improvements proposed for this project were satisfactory and appropriate. He recommended approval of the Council action, Resolution No. 2003-90. Upon motion by Council Member McGorray, seconded by Council Member Blake, Resolution No. 2003-90 was unanimously approved. Mr. Reuwsaat commented that the developer, Gary Stiteler, had taken full responsibility for meeting the U.S. Fish and Wildlife requirements relating to the cactus ferruginous pygmy owl and had essentially vowed to make certain that the Skyranch development was environmentally sensitive. He added that the Desert Education Children s Center would eventually be a part of this subdivision and would be a tremendous asset for the community as well as a true benefit for the area's children to learn about the desert. He said it was also a good example of partnering between the public and private sector, particularly this sitting Council. 6. Resolution No. 2003-95: Consideration and possible adoption of a resolution of the Town Council of the Town of Marana, Arizona approving all matters with respect to the sale and issuance of not to exceed $20,000,000 aggregate principal amount of Town of Marana Municipal Property Corporation Municipal Facilities Revenue Bonds, Series 2003 and delegating to the Manager and the Finance Director of the Town of Marana, Arizona, the authority to determine various terms with respect to the bonds and declaring an emergency (Roy Cuaron) Roy Cuaron spoke before the Council regarding this item. He said that the proposed resolution authorized the execution of any documentation .m~ necessary to effectuate the sale of approximately $20M in bonds, the proceeds of which would be utilized to finance the construction of the new municipal complex. 9 MINUTES OF_REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING i~1AR-ANA TOWN HALL AUGUST 19; .2003 ~He reported that an upgrade of the Towri s credit worthiness from "A" to A+ had recently been acquired from Standard & Poor's Ratings Services and that this was a highly unusual accomplishment for a small rural community lacking in job diversity and population. He named several other communities holding the same credit rating including cities such as Phoenix, Tempe, Gilbert, and Scottsdale, all of which have much larger population bases than Marana. The finance director commended Mark Reader and Michael Cafiso, the Towri s bond counselor and financial advisor respectively, for their efforts in organizing the recent rating trip to San Francisco and, especially, Mr. Reader for his pointed questions to the rating agencies prior to the issuance of the new rating. He said that he had personally learned quite a bit about how municipal credit was evaluated and that Marana recognized that it must improve its employment and economic bases in order to achieve a higher rate at the next evaluation. He continued by asking for approval of the proposed resolution authorizing the issuance of bonds not to exceed $20M. He explained that an average rate of about 4.75 ,, was expected. Upon motion by Council Member Blake, seconded by Council Member Escobedo, Resolution No. 2003-95 was unanimously approved and an emergency was declared. Vice Mayor Kai acknowledged the importance of the new and higher credit rating. He joined Mr. Cuaron in his praise of Mr. Reader and Mr. Cafiso. 7. Resolution No. 2003-96: Authorization to enter into a Memorandum of Understanding with Northwest Fire District, modifying the 1998 IGA between the parties by, among other things, eliminating the Town's obligation to construct the Marana Municipal Complex Fire Station with bond funding issued by the Marana Municipal Property Corporation (Frank Cassidy) Mr. Cassidy presented this item to the Council and said that this was basically a housekeeping item. He confirmed that the Town had entered into an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) in 1998 with the Northwest Fire District which would allow the District to use the Towri s bonding process in order to construct the municipal complex fire station. 10 ~1INUTES~OF REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING nIAI2ANA TOWN HALL AUGUST 19,` 2003_ He reported that last week the District decided to use its own financing and the memorandum of understanding (MOU) was simply a modification to the IGA, no longer obligating the District to use that process. Council Member Escobedo asked if this modification would change who the builder of the fire station would be or if D.L. Withers would continue to be the builder of record. Mr. Reuwsaat responded by saying that this decision would be up to the Northwest Fire District but that the builder would most likely remain as D. L. Withers. Upon motion by Council Escobedo, seconded by Council Member Blake, Resolution No. 2003-96 was unanimously approved. C. MAYOR AND COUNCIL'S REPORT Council Member congratulated Town staff on the success of the recent Council retreat in Prescott. Vice Mayor Kai agreed that the Council retreat was a success and that much was accomplished. He thanked everyone for their efforts in organizing this annual event. D. MANAGERS' REPORT Mr. Reuwsaat alerted the Council of possible press coverage concerning the Court of Appeals remand of the listing of the cactus ferruginous pygmy owl back to the District court. He said that this would cause varied speculation by different attorneys but that it was business as usual for the Town as its Habitat Conservation Plan (HCP) was amulti-species consideration. X. UPCOMING EVENTS There were no upcoming events discussed at this time. XI. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS There were no future agenda items suggested at this time. 11 MINEJTES OF REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING MARANA TOWN HALL .-AUGUST 19, 2003 XII. ADJOURNMENT Upon motion by Council Member Escobedo, seconded by Council Member Blake, approval to adjourn was unanimous. The time was 7:53 p.m. CERTIFICATION I hereby certify that the foregoing are the true and correct minutes of the Marana Town Council meeting held on August 19, 2003. I further certify that a quorum was present. Jocelyn onson, Town Clerk :~~~'a1 :: 4 a~.~r`®~e~oi F~~ ~ GgRPO ~ o0 ~~ ~~~., ,~~dtmi r~^~ rs~.~'~ "~~~~ 12 1~Z9RANA TOWN COUNCIL MEETING Public Attendees DATE: ~- ~ ~ ~3 Name Address l<r4-/~ ~ r~v~, ~~~~E~ ~v~1AQ~ Nc~Ea.s 2 s~~ I ~/ ~, PA ~ x . i „rs~~J A z. ~k' F~ti2~ ~__ '~-c Z c2 ~A~cl~ ~' Suza+.~N~ ~~iZSC~~a MARANA TOWN COUNCIL MEETING Public Attendees DATE: 1 ?j Narne Addresc ~ ,~ Cam. ~ .,.,. „ ~ ._ „ ~ ~, ~.~ n ~ , „ ,. ~1 _ , v, P?l~ ~IR~K ~ ~p ~-~yy N. s3~~•l, P.~. ~~ r-n -1 ~ n_ }1V17v W~ iD~rc~I~Tcc.. ~,~' v ~ ~_.. ~ ~ ~i o S/ b'L /,I~ ~~( / ~ a ~..~ u ~./~ti< e ~ Z$I ~. /L(~ ale ... ;.D.. ~ .ew -