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HomeMy WebLinkAbout03/04/2025 Regular Council Meeting Summary Minutes MARANA AZ ESTABLISHED 1977 MARANA TOWN COUNCIL REGULAR COUNCIL MEETING 11555 W. Civic Center Drive, Marana, Arizona 85653 Council Chambers, March 4, 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 Teri Murphy, Council Member John Officer, Council Member SUMMARY MINUTES CALL TO ORDER AND ROLL CALL Mayor Post called the meeting to order at 6:02 PM. He directed the Town Clerk to call the roll. Council Member Comerford and Council Member Kai were absent. All other 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. Vice Mayor Ziegler moved to approve the agenda. Council Member Cavanaugh seconded the motion. Motion passed, 5-0. CALL TO THE PUBLIC PROCLAMATIONS MAYOR AND COUNCIL REPORTS: SUMMARY OF CURRENT EVENTS Regular Council Meeting Summary Minutes March 4,2025 Page 1 of 6 Council Member Cavanaugh complemented Ironwood Elementary School for receiving an A rating. He said he is proud of the academic accomplishments taking place in Marana. Vice Mayor Ziegler said the Special Council Meeting/Retreat on February 19 - 21, 2025, was the best retreat she has attended. She thanked Mayor Post for setting the tone and tenor of the meeting. She said that she and Council Member Comerford attended the Marana Chamber of Commerce's Business Connection Breakfast. Mayor Post echoed Vice Mayor Ziegler's comments on the retreat and said that the retreat was the best retreat the Council has had. He said the Council and relationships among the Council Members are great and that the Town has great staff. He said the retreat resulted in the Council setting a different direction than it previously has traveled, but that it will still hold onto the values that have built the Town. He congratulated Marana Police Chief Jeffrey Pridgett on being inducted into the Marana High School Hall of Fame. He also said he attended his first Regional Transportation Authority (RTA) meeting and that it was everything former Mayor Honea said it was and more. He said it was very political, and that there were several major issues that needed to be worked through. MANAGER'S REPORT: SUMMARY OF CURRENT EVENTS Town Manager Terry Rozema said there were 70 single-family residential permits issued in the month of February, which indicates an uptick in recent permit issuing trends. He said the Marana Aquatics and Recreation Center (MARC) reached an important milestone. As of the day before, the pool is now finished and is being filled with water. He also reminded the Council about the March 15, 2025, Founders' Day Signature Event and congratulated Chief Pridgett on his induction into the Hall of Fame. PRESENTATIONS P1 Presentation: Relating to Finance; presentation, discussion and possible direction on proposed changes to the Town of Marana Comprehensive Fee Schedule and other various rate and fee adjustments (Yiannis Kalaitzidis) Finance Director Yiannis Kalaitzidis presented on this item. A copy of the presentation slides is on file with the Town Clerk's Office. Mr. Kalaitzidis said there were approximately 30 proposed changes to the Towri s comprehensive fee schedule for its Fiscal Year 2026 annual update, and he summarized several of the changes. For more detailed information, please see the presentation slides. Mr. Kalaitzidis said he hopes to bring these changes before Council for adoption after a public notice period on May 20, 2025. A clarifying question was asked and answered during the presentation. Regular Council Meeting Summary Minutes March 4,2025 Page 2 of 6 P2 Relating to Budget; presentation of independent auditor's report and final results for the 2023-2024 fiscal year (Yiannis Kalaitzidis) Mr. Kalaitzidis introduced Mr.Brian Hemmerle,Lead Audit Principal with Baker Tilly Advisory Group, the Town's independent auditor. Mr. Hemmerle presented the results of the audit report. He said that a clean report has been issued for the Town,meaning that there were no audit findings,and he summarized the report's components and the auditor's work and responsibilities. A copy of the presentation slides is on file with the Town Clerk's Office.For more detailed information, please see the presentation slides. Mayor Post asked how Mr. Hemmerle looked for fraud while completing his work on the audit. Mr.Hemmerle explained that interviews are held with Town management and Town Council Members. The process includes tests and controls wherever weaknesses might be found. Mayor Post asked how the Town verifies that vendors are legitimate. Mr. Hemmerle said that the audit process involves looking at the internal controls surrounding who is approving each vendor transaction,who is recording the transaction, and who authorizes payment. He said they also look to ensure there is a separation of duties with different individuals involved to ensure multiple checks in the transaction approval process. He said they also look at the Town's procurement activities to make sure there is not any unusual biding activity. CONSENT AGENDA C1 Resolution No. 2025-017: Relating to Administration; demonstrating the Town's compliance with A.R.S. § 41-1494 (Curry C. Hale) C2 Resolution No. 2025-018: Relating to Development; approving the Final Plat for Stonegate Blocks 8-10,15-17,and Parcels E and F located approximately one and one-half miles north of Tangerine Road and east of Adonis Road within a portion of Section 25, Township 11 South, and Range 11 East (Brian D. Varney) C3 Resolution No. 2025-019: Relating to Real Estate; approving and authorizing the Mayor to sign the Town of Marana Lease Extension with SG Farms L.L.C., for extension of the lease of approximately 22.88 acres of Town owned property abutting the north boundary of the Marana Wastewater Reclamation Facility (George Cardieri) C4 Resolution No. 2025-020: Relating to Real Estate; approving and authorizing the Town Engineer to execute a License Agreement with the United States of America, Department of Energy, Western Area Power Administration, specifying consent for new public roadway and drainage improvements to be constructed for the Twin Peaks Regular Council Meeting Summary Minutes March 4,2025 Page 3 of 6 Rattlesnake Pass Widening Project, located within WAPA's existing transmission line easement (George Cardieri) Vice Mayor Ziegler moved to approve the consent agenda. Council Member Cavanaugh seconded the motion. Motion passed, 5-0. LIQUOR LICENSES BOARDS, COMMISSIONS AND COMMITTEES COUNCIL ACTION Mayor Post requested that Items Al and A2 be heard together. Al Resolution No. 2025-021: Relating to Development; approving and authorizing the Mayor to execute the Settlement Agreement between the Southern Arizona Home Builders Association (SAHBA) and the Town of Marana in settlement of the litigation captioned Southern Arizona Home Builders Association v. Town of Marana, No. C20184411 (Pima County Superior Court) (Jane Fairall) A2 Ordinance No. 2025.004: Relating to Development; amending development impact fees for Water Resources and Wastewater Facilities; and providing an effective date (Jane Fairall) Ms. Fairall said that these two items will finally resolve ongoing litigation between the Town and the Southern Arizona Home Builders Association (SAHBA), in which SAHBA sued the Town in 2018 over the Towri s adoption of impact fees related to its acquisition of a Water Treatment Facility (WRF) in 2017. Item Al involves the approval of the settlement agreement between the parties and Item A2 involves a related ordinance summarized as part of the settlement agreement terms below. Ms. Fairall summarized the terms and conditions of the settlement agreement as follows: • The Town will adjust its current Water Resources and Wastewater Facilities development impact fees (DIF),adopted in December 2022,downward as set forth in Ordinance No. 2025.004 (the Water Resources DIF will be reduced by approximately 35% and the Wastewater Facilities DIF will be reduced by approximately 25%). • The revised fees will not be increased for three years or until the Town approves new impact fees pursuant to state law, whichever is later. • The Agreement will be prospective only; the Town will not be required to refund any previously collected fees. Regular Council Meeting Summary Minutes March 4,2025 Page 4 of 6 • The parties agreed that future Town fees will not include any costs attributable to certain elements of the WRF, namely the secondary treatment system, the secondary clarifiers, the solids handling facility and tertiary treatment. • The Town will pay SAHBA $450,000.00 in attorneys' fees. Council Member Cavanaugh said that there would be a loss of approximately $7.5 million in impact fee revenues over the three-year period as a result of the settlement agreement and asked what the Town would do to make up the difference. Deputy Town Manager Erik Montague said the Town was required to hold harmless the impact fee funds and therefore the impact fee funds would be made whole from non-impact fee sources. Vice Mayor Zigler said this litigation has been going on for a long time and has been arduous and complex. She said she was glad it was finally coming to a conclusion. She thanked Mr. Montague, Mr. Rozema, and the Town's outside consultants - including former Town Attorney Frank Cassidy - for their work on this. She extended special thanks to Ms. Fairall for her work throughout this process. Vice Mayor Ziegler moved to adopt Resolution No. 2025-021 and Ordinance No. 2025.004. Council Member Officer seconded the motion. Motion passed, 5-0. ITEMS FOR DISCUSSION/POSSIBLE ACTION D1 Relating to Development and Public Works; update, discussion, and possible direction regarding public and private projects and development applications on the Town's Marana Current and Proposed Projects internet site (Jason Angell) Mr. Udall and Mr. Rozema said Development Services Director Jason Angell was ill and therefore there would not be an update on current projects at this meeting. 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). Regular Council Meeting Summary Minutes March 4,2025 Page 5 of 6 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 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. There were no requests for future agenda items. ADJOURNMENT Mayor Post asked for a motion to adjourn the meeting. Vice Mayor Ziegler moved to adjourn the meeting. Council Member Cavanaugh seconded the motion. Motion passed, 5-0. Meeting adjourned at 6:41 PM. CERTIFICATION I hereby certify that the foregoing are the true and correct minutes of the regular Town Council meetin don March 4, 2025. I further certify that a quorum was present. David L. Udall, Town Clerk MARANA AZ E ;; 'i".A13t. ISHED 1977 Regular Council Meeting Summary Minutes March 4,2025 Page 6 of 6