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HomeMy WebLinkAbout02/18/2025 Special Council Meeting Summary Minutes MARANA AZ ESTABLISHED 1977 MARANA TOWN COUNCIL SPECIAL COUNCIL MEETING 11555 W. Civic Center Drive, Marana, Arizona 85653 Council Chambers, February 18, 2025, at or after 6:00 PM Jon Post, Mayor Roxanne Ziegler, Vice Mayor Patrick Cavanaugh, Council Member Patti Comerford, Council Member Herb Kai, Council Member John Officer, Council Member SUMMARY MINUTES CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL Mayor Post called the meeting to order at 6:00 PM. He directed the Town Clerk to call the roll. All Council Members were present, constituting a quorum. PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE/INVOCATION/MOMENT OF SILENCE: Led by Mayor Post. APPROVAL OF AGENDA Mayor Post asked for a motion to approve the agenda. Council Member Kai moved to approve the agenda as presented. Council Member Officer seconded the motion. Motion passed, 6-0. PROCLAMATIONS PR1 Proclamation Recognizing Navy Week (David L. Udall) Council Special Meeting Summary Minutes February 18,2025 Page 1 of 6 Town Clerk/Assistant Town Attorney David Udall read the proclamation as Mayor Post presented it to its recipient. MAYOR AND COUNCIL REPORTS: SUMMARY OF CURRENT EVENTS Council Member Cavanaugh said he attended Chandler's State of the City last week. He also said that a week ago, Orange Grove Road reopened and that it has relieved congestion on Ina Road. Council Member Comerford said she enjoyed her vacation and that it was good to be back. Council Member Kai said that the Marana Community Food Bank reached its goal to raise $220,000.00 to purchase the building and the land. He thanked all donors who contributed. Vice Mayor Ziegler said she attended several ribbon cuttings recently. She also attended a Love of Reading event at an elementary school and appeared on a podcast to discuss the Marana Aquatics and Recreation Center (MARC) fees and downtown Marana. Mayor Post thanked Council Member Kai for the hard work he put in to help raise money for the Marana Community Food Bank. He said he appeared before the State Legislature today and was disappointed at how divided the Legislature was. He hopes the water-related bills will go through. He invited Marana citizens to contact their legislators regarding water issues, which he said are solvable. MANAGER'S REPORT: SUMMARY OF CURRENT EVENTS Town Manager Terry Rozema said there were 40 single-family residential permits issued so far for the month of February. Last February, there were 129 total permits issued. He said that the grand opening for the MARC was now set for May 3 with artwork being unveiled the night before.He said that as part of Navy Week,the Navy would be planting some trees at Crossroads at Silverbell District Part. He also reminded the Council of the Council Retreat this week in Chandler and of the Founders' Day event coming up in March. PRESENTATIONS CONSENT AGENDA C1 Approval of Regular Council Meeting Summary Minutes of February 4, 2025 (David L. Udall) Council Special Meeting Summary Minutes February 18,2025 Page 2 of 6 Council Member Kai moved to approve the consent agenda. Vice Mayor Ziegler seconded the motion. Motion passed, 6-D. LIQUOR LICENSES BOARDS, COMMISSIONS AND COMMITTEES COUNCIL ACTION Al Relating to Mayor and Council; possible public statements by applicants for the vacant Marana Town Council seat;discussion about and interview of candidates for the vacancy; and appointment of a new Council member (Terry Rozema) Mayor Post invited Ms. Phyllis M. Farenga, who submitted a speaker card to speak at the meeting, to speak at this time and thanked her for her attendance. Ms. Farenga provided Mr. Udall a copy of an email she sent to the Council. A copy of the email is on • file with the Town Clerk's Office. Ms.Farenga said during the February 13,2025,Council Committee for Town Council Member Appointment (Selection Committee) meeting, Committee Member Cavanaugh commented that his criteria for selection was based on engagement with the Town, such as attendance at Council meetings. Ms. Farenga said that it was inappropriate to base selection on that criteria alone. For more details, please see her email on file. Mayor Post asked the Town Clerk to invite each applicant to approach the dais for brief presentations, as follows: • Ms.Teri Murphy said she has lived in Marana for 31 years and has been active in the community. She said that Founders' Day was the first event she assisted the Town with. She was part of the foundation board for MHC Healthcare. She sold homes to individuals in the Town and learned a lot about those moving into this community. She also was involved with the Marana Mortuary and Cemetery and rebuilding the Marana Heritage Arena. She loves helping other people and has a realistic view of what people look for in their lives. She said she has dedicated 28 years to devoting her time and energy to the Town and knows what it takes to serve the Town. She said she knows what makes a community great, and it is the people. She thanked the Council for serving the community. • Mr. Jack Neubeck said he has been involved with the Town for 39 years. He explained some of the history of the Town around 1986 when he moved in and recounted his efforts to annex additional property into the Town for sales tax revenue. He said he oversaw the acquisition of the first Town Hall and helped Council Special Meeting Summary Minutes February 18,2025 Page 3 of 6 Marana with bank protection. He owned the Planning Center, which has rezoned several communities in the Town. He retired in 2015 and substitute taught in the Marana Unified School District(MUSD). He said he was one of the founders of the MHC Foundation and was president of the Chamber of Commerce.He said he has been on both sides (government and private), that that his perspective would be valuable as a Council Member. He said that, if selected, he would like to see development at the Marana Municipal Airport, job creation in the Town, and the retention of agriculture in the Town. He said the Town is well positioned for the future. He also said he knew the Council Members on the dais and said it would be an honor to sit alongside them. • Mr. Todd McGee said his wife is a great-granddaughter in a family that helped build Marana. He said their children attend MUSD and that Marana has been a great place for his family. He said he wants the Town to keep that family focus. He said he loves the growth seen in Marana and the infrastructure being put in, but he wants family to be the central focus.He has spent the last 12 years as a coach and volunteer on the Marana Little League Board. He said from 2018 to 2024, he was the president of the Marana Little League, and during that time, he worked with the Town Council to enact a new pay schedule for non-profit groups to help bring Marana Little League out of a deficit. He also oversaw athletes compete in ways that brought national and local publicity. In 2019, he was an advisory member on the Parks and Recreation ten-year plan. He said he believes he would be a great asset to the Town on the Town Council. • Ms. Katy Collins said she has lived in Marana for three years and has lived in the Tucson area for 16. She said she loves Marana, and she thanked the Council Members for the work they put in and highlighted the tenure of Council Members and some of the projects the Council has authorized. She said she is honored to be considered to join the Council to be taught by the Council and to continue the vision of the Town of Marana. She said she currently serves the community in a number of untitled ways, including as a mother, educator, entrepreneur, and neighbor. She said she considers herself a connector of community. She provided statistics supporting why families are such a large voice in the Town.She said she would love to see local food and artisan products in Marana, parks spaces to be improved to be even more well used, and recruitment of family friendly businesses to develop more indoor opportunities for the children in Marana. She said she hopes to make Marana home - to connect, to grow, and to dwell. Mayor Post said many hours were spent reviewing the applications, and he said they were fantastic applications. He said this was not an easy choice. He said the Selection Committee picked four outstanding candidates who can move the Town forward. Council Special Meeting Summary Minutes February 18,2025 Page 4 of 6 Mayor Post asked for a motion to go into executive session and noted that Ms. Farenga asked that her application not be discussed in executive session. Vice Mayor Ziegler so moved. Council Member Officer seconded the motion. Motion passed, 6-0. Council Member Comerford thanked the applicants and invited those not selected to continue to apply for positions in the Town. She said the Town needs them. LAn executive session was held on Item E2 below, beginning at 6:43 PM and concluding at 6:59 PM.] After the executive session concluded,in open session, Council Member Comerford moved to appoint Teri Murphy to the vacant Marana Town Council seat, to serve for the unexpired term of former Council Member Jon Post. Vice Mayor Ziegler seconded the motion. Motion passed, 6-0. Vice Mayor Zeiger said the decision was difficult, as could be seen from the great candidates that had applied for the position. She thanked the candidates for applying, and she and Council Member Comerford asked them to apply in the future. ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION/POSSIBLE ACTION EXECUTIVE SESSIONS Pursuant to A.R.S. § 38-431.03, the Town Council may vote to go into executive session, which will not be open to the public, to discuss certain matters. El Executive Session pursuant to A.R.S. §38-431.03 (A), Council may ask for discussion or consideration, or consultation with designated Town representatives, or consultation for legal advice with the Town Attorney, concerning any matter listed on this agenda for any of the reasons listed in A.R.S. §38-431.03 (A). E2 Executive Session pursuant to A.R.S. § 38-431.03(A)(1) for discussion, consideration, and possible interviews of candidates for appointment to the Town Council. FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS Notwithstanding the Mayor's discretion regarding the items to be placed on the agenda, if three or more Council members request that an item be placed on the agenda, it must Council Special Meeting Summary Minutes February 18,2025 Page 5 of 6 be placed on the agenda for the second regular Town Council meeting after the date of the request, pursuant to Marana Town Code Section 2-4-2(B). Mayor Post asked for future agenda items. No future agenda items were requested. ADJOURNMENT Mayor Post asked for a motion to adjourn. Vice Mayor Ziegler moved to adjourn the meeting. Motion passed, 6-0. Meeting adjourned at 7:01 PM. CERTIFICATION I hereby certify that the foregoing are the true and correct minutes of the Special Town Council meeting held on February 18, 2025. I further certify that a quorum was present. David L. Udall, Town Clerk .de:)& MARANA AZ ESTABLISHED 6971 Council Special Meeting Summary Minutes February 18,2025 Page 6 of 6