MINUTES OF THE PEORIA CITY COUNCIL CITY OF PEORIA, ARIZONA PINE ROOM, CITY HALL MAY 20, 2008 A Study Session Meeting of the City Council of the City of Peoria, Arizona was convened at 8401 West Monroe Street in open and public session at 4:00 p.m. Members Present: Mayor Bob Barrett; Vice Mayor Cathy Carlat; Councilmembers Ron Aames, Joan Evans, Vicki Hunt, Carlo Leone and Dave Pearson. Members Absent: None Other Municipal Officials Present: Terrence Ellis, City Manager; Carl Swenson, Deputy City Manager; Susan Thorpe, Deputy City Manager; John Wenderski, Deputy City Manager; Honorable George Anagnost, Presiding Municipal Judge; Steve Kemp, City Attorney; Mary Jo Kief, City Clerk; J.P. de la Montaigne, Bill Mattingly, Grady Miller, Dave Moody, Steve Prokopek, Glen Van Nimwegen, James Mason and Gina Soria. Audience: Approximately 15 members of the public were present. Subject for Discussion only: 1. Court Program Review The Honorable George Anagnost, Presiding Municipal Judge, explained Policy Studies Inc. (PSI) conducted a program review of the City Court and introduced John Martin, Senior Consultant for PSI. John Wenderski, Deputy City Manager, explained the purpose of the review is to analyze current Court operations. Councilmember Pearson inquired on when the last program review was conducted. Judge Anagnost replied it had been several years. Mr. Martin discussed the strengths of the Court, highlighting the ability for defendants to complete their cases in one day. He noted a future challenge for the City will be to maintain this high level of performance as workloads increase and caseloads become more complex. Discussion ensued on renovations of the courthouse and associated challenges. Mr. Martin discussed recommendations, including a succession plan for judges and the hiring of a second full-time judge. Mr. Martin discussed the recommendations related to safety and security within court operations, highlighting the installation of closed circuit televisions, duress alarms, and a secure holding cell adjacent to the courtroom, all of which are included in the renovations. Steve Kemp, City Attorney, noted the Police Department will conduct an audit within the court to address security issues and any immediate concerns will be remedied. Mr. Martin discussed recommendations related to work-flow and processing, including the expanded use of electronic tickets and technology. He suggested the bundling of cases for police officers so as to minimize their time in court. Mr. Martin commented on prosecutors assigned to a criminal courtroom for efficiency. Mr. Kemp commented on victims’ constitutional rights issues with respect to scheduling. Mr. Martin also recommended a detailed work-flow analysis, the development of a method for tracking performance measure data, and the formation of a Peoria Justice System Coordinating Council, which is common in other cities. Judge Anagnost commented on a transitional plan for the court to remain operative during the renovations and to systematically implement best practices. Mr. Kemp commented on video conferencing and the use of private and county jails. In response to Councilmember Pearson, Mr. Wenderski, stated a second judge should be hired by the end of the year. Mr. Kemp clarified that Pro Tem Judges are used, but the hiring of a second judge will create consistency. Councilmember Evans inquired on the juvenile court system. Mr. Kemp explained juveniles are cited through the Justice Court; however, imposed fines are not enforced; enforcement would need to occur through the Juvenile Probation Department. Mr. Kemp clarified City misdemeanors are a lower level priority of the Juvenile Probation Department, compared to more serious crimes. Councilmember Evans stated it is important for the system to respond to youths with lower level crimes to prevent them from escalating. 2. General Plan Environmental Element/Sustainability Principles Carl Swenson, Deputy City Manager, reported sustainable development may be achieved through a focus on what is built in the community, how services are provided, and what alternatives are available and practical. He discussed planning and energy reduction, highlighting fuel use and alternatives, waste reduction, water, and the Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED) standards. Discussion ensued on the City of Peoria’s Valley Forward environmental report card. Peoria has improved in the air, land use, transportation, and water categories. Glen Van Nimwegen, Community Development Director, discussed the Community Development Department’s current sustainability efforts. Mr. Van Nimwegen reported on the Environmental Resources Element in the General Plan and the Desert Lands Conservation Ordinance, which calls for smart land uses. He commented on the Design Review standards and energy efficiency standards. Discussion ensued on future sustainability efforts, including the Energy Element of the General Plan, which encompasses energy consumption, City partnerships, education, the Green Building Program, and the City’s commitment to reduce waste. Mr. Van Nimwegen clarified what the requirements are for LEED certifications and the possibility of rewarding/encouraging LEED standards in new and existing developments. Bill Mattingly, Public Works Director, discussed the Public Works Department’s current sustainability efforts. He reviewed curbside recycling, highlighting Peoria is the only city that offers multi-family recycling. Mr. Mattingly reported on solid waste programs, street maintenance, alternative fuels, fleet maintenance, facilities, and transit. He discussed alternative fuels, such as bio-fuel and flex- fuel vehicles. Discussion ensued on future sustainability efforts, including commercial business and school recycling, street and street-sign lighting, fixed-route transit, fleet acquisition policy, and LEED standards. Mr. Mattingly reported on a study regarding the building of a natural gas facility at the Municipal Operations Center. J.P. de la Montaigne, Community Services Director, discussed the current sustainability efforts of the Community Services Department. He highlighted energy efficient lighting and design, low water use landscape, and the use of existing routes for trails. Mr. de la Montaigne noted the City was honored with Crescordia Awards from Valley Forward for the New River Trail/Rio Vista Park Segment and the Sonora Mountain Ranch and East Wing Mountain Trail. Discussion ensued on future sustainability efforts. Mr. de la Montaigne highlighted the preparation for use of reclaimed water, sustainable park and open space design and construction, and recycling at the Peoria Sports Complex. He commented on environmentally sound design, including solar lighting ramadas and wind technologies. Discussion ensued on the Tree City USA program. Mr. Swenson clarified the program focuses on sustaining trees in the community. Brian Biesemeyer, Deputy Utilities Director, discussed the current sustainability efforts of the Utilities Department, highlighting the Water Conservation Program which won a Crescordia Award. He discussed the Water Resource Master Plan and assured water supply, reclaimed water, drought contingency plan, and groundwater recharge. Mr. Biesemeyer discussed the future sustainability efforts of the Utilities Department, including LEED standards in facilities, the Beardsley Water Reclamation Facility solar power project, which will provide power to their administration building, video conferencing, and solar powered mixing systems. In response to Councilmember Pearson, Mr. Biesemeyer clarified that sites are able to be monitored remotely with the use of Supervisory Control and Data Acquisition, improving trip reduction efforts. Clerk’s Note: Mayor Barrett declared a short recess at 5:50 p.m. and reconvened the meeting at 5:58 p.m. 3. Community Identity Implementation Update Grady Miller, Director of Communications and Public Affairs, explained the City of Peoria completed a branding/community identity study with the goal to develop a brand platform that projects the City’s image. Mr. Miller explained the study included market research and feedback from almost 800 people stemming from community meetings, surveys, studies, and interviews. Mr. Miller highlighted the strengths of Peoria that were identified in the study and the resulting conclusions from the research. Discussion ensued on the “Naturally Connected” tagline. Mr. Miller addressed concerns that the tagline was not unique. Staff concluded that several communities share taglines, mottos, and slogans and that original taglines are difficult to claim because they are used in everyday communication. Mr. Miller demonstrated this by referencing Savannah, Georgia; San Jose, California; and Augusta, Georgia; all of which are known as “The Garden City.” Mr. Miller went on to demonstrate prior slogans used by Peoria that were shared with other communities. Steve Prokopek, Economic Development Director, discussed the process and reasoning behind the selection of “Naturally Connected.” He highlighted the discussion of trails, Lake Pleasant, recreation programs, arts, culture, entertainment, employment, and amenities. Mr. Prokopek noted that through these discussions, a theme of “naturally connected” presented itself. Discussion ensued on the future of Peoria, including sustainability, economy, and the quality of life. Mr. Miller discussed graphic standards and provided examples of proper uses of the logo and tagline. Mr. Prokopek explained branding provides a message that can be easily delivered to a target audience and projected by the community in areas such as a vibrant economy, smart growth, quality of life, and diverse natural assets. Mr. Miller discussed staff recommendations: 1. Continue implementation efforts with logo, graphics standards, and tagline; OR 2. Obtain advisory board input on “Naturally Connected” tagline and proceed with implementation of logo and graphic standards; OR 3. Obtain advisory board input on tagline, logo, and graphics standards and delay implementation. Councilmember Hunt inquired on the proposed use of the City Seal. Mr. Miller responded the City Seal will be reserved for more prestigious applications while the logo will be used primarily for marketing and economic development. Mr. Miller explained the logo and tagline has been well received by the Peoria Chamber of Commerce. Councilmember Aames discussed the tagline of “Naturally Connected” and the effects/purposes of taglines in general. He provided examples of commonly used taglines in culture and media. Councilmember Leone stated the City Seal has been used since 1954 and another logo is not needed. Councilmember Leone questioned what citizens would gain from a new logo and recommended the item be placed on a ballot for citizens to vote on. The consensus of Council was to bring the item back for discussion at a future study session. Adjournment: Being no further business to come before the Council, the meeting was duly adjourned at 6:40 p.m. ____ __________________________________ Bob Barrett, Mayor ATTEST: ______________________________________ Mary Jo Kief, City Clerk CERTIFICATION I hereby certify that the foregoing minutes are a true and correct copy of the minutes of the Study Session Meeting of the City Council of Peoria, Arizona held on the 20th day of May, 2008. I further certify that the meeting was duly called and held and that a quorum was present. Dated this 26th day of August, 2008. (Seal) ______________________________________ Mary Jo Kief, City Clerk