CITY OF ST. JOHNS

REGULAR MEETING MINUTES

May 11, 2016

The meeting was duly posted. Mayor Ryan Patterson called the meeting to order at approximately 6:00 p.m. in the City of St. Johns Council Chambers.

ROLL CALL: Mayor Ryan Patterson, Councilman Pete Hancock, Councilwoman Kay Hauser, and Councilman Tony Raykovitz.

ABSENT: Vice Mayor Spence Udall, Councilman Michael Cirivello, and Councilman JR Richardson.

STAFF PRESENT: Interim City Manager Paul Ramsey, Finance Director/City Clerk Timothy Hinton, Deputy City Clerk Cindy Lee, Police Chief Daniel Brown, Assistant Fire Chief Jason Kirk, Police Department Administrative Assistant Tamara Poe, Police Department Records Clerk Ciara DeHart, Police Officer Thomas Drane, Firefighter Robert Vallejos, VIP Jamie Robbins, VIP Ward Bunyan, VIP Austin Williams, VIP Jerry Aronica, VIP Joy Siaotong, VIP Maria Torturica, and VIP Mary Kowalczyk.

OTHERS PRESENT: Cherie Wiltbank, Felisha Ramsey, and Breanna Lee.

INVOCATION: Councilman Tony Raykovitz

PLEDGE: Finance Director/City Clerk Timothy Hinton

CALL TO THE PUBLIC

  • No public wished to speak.

CONSENT AGENDA

  1. Consider approval of April 13, 2016 City Council minutes.
  2. Request approval for payment of bills from April 1-30, 2016. Special details of bills can be requested at City Hall.

MOTION

Motion was made by Councilwoman Kay Hauser to approve the consent agenda as stated. Motion was seconded by Councilman Tony Raykovitz.

Motion passed 5-0

  1. Consider approval of Arizona Department of Housing funding agreement with the City of St. Johns to extend the contract date to June 30, 2016.

Interim City Manager Paul Ramsey commented that this is an agreement that we are currently operating under. This has been extended from April 30, 2016 to June 30, 2016. We have completed most of the waterline project. We are currently waiting on the volt. We ask that you approve this agreement.

MOTION

Motion was made by Councilman Tony Raykovitz to approve the Arizona Department of Housing funding agreement with the City of St. Johns. Motion was seconded by Councilman Pete Hancock.

Motion passed 4-0

  1. Consideration of approval to change the existing part-time Police Records Clerk position to full-time.

Police Chief Daniel Brown commented that he had brought this item before the Council last month. You asked me to go back and see if I could find the funding in my own department. I went back to the drawing board. I will need about $7200 to make this a full-time position. We are the busiest Police Department in Apache County. We would like this full-time position to start the new fiscal year, July 1, 2016.

MOTION

Motion was made by Councilman Tony Raykovitz to approve the Police Records Clerk position to full-time. Motion was seconded by Councilwoman Kay Hauser.

Question: Councilman Pete Hancock commented that we have found the money for the first year, but what happens after that?

Chief Brown commented that he knows that is his budget and he is going to make it work this year and that he will make it work the next year. It is critical need for the Police Department.

Councilman Hancock commented that it is a possibility that we will have to fund the next year.

Mayor Patterson stated that it is his intention to hold to this number. The Police Department will have to find the money for the next fiscal year budget.

Motion passed 4-0

  1. Consider approval of IGA between the Arizona State Forestry and the City of St. Johns.

The item will be moved to the end of the agenda.

  1. Discussion of potential relief of sales tax on agricultural products.

Interim City Manager Paul Ramsey commented that he has had a request from a merchant in town, that sales agriculture products would like a tax relief on these products. This would only be to ranchers and farmers mostly. The Finance Director/City Clerk Timothy Hinton has researched other communities and Winslow is the only community that is doing this legally but other communities are not charging tax on the agriculture products. We have the option to tax or not.

Cherie Wiltbank commented that this is not for everyone. The ranchers would have to complete a 5000 form to receive the tax cut, this does not include gardening supplies.

Finance Director/City Clerk Timothy Hinton commented that the State sales tax already exempts this tax. City sales tax should follow the State sales tax.

Mayor Patterson recommended that staff to look into this and put together a plan and bring this back to the Council. If we need to have a 10 minute special City Council meeting, let’s do it.

  1. Consider approval of the lease agreement with NAVIT.

Finance Director/City Clerk Timothy Hinton commented that what we are proposing is signing a new lease with Northland Pioneer College for the NAVIT building for an additional 4 years at the current terms of $3400 a month. Mr. Hinton stated that he doesn’t know if Attorney Bryce Patterson has had a chance to look over the lease. What we are asking is for the same existing terms.

MOTION

Motion was made by Councilwoman Kay Hauser to approve signing the lease at the current terms. Motion was seconded by Councilman Tony Raykovitz.

Motion passed 4-0

  1. Discussion of issues related to pending litigation associated with the Little Colorado River (LCR) Adjudication (Apache County Superior Court – In Re: The General Adjudication of the All Rights to Use Water in the Little Colorado River System and Source (CV 6417-200, CV 6417-201, CV 6417-202)) and possible approval of joining the LCR Coalition to participate in the Adjudication with outside Legal Counsel who represents the Coalition. Upon a public majority vote of the members constituting a quorum, the Council may hold an executive session with regard to item 8. which is not open to the public for the following purposes: A.R.S.38-431.03 (A)(3) – Discussion or consultation fir legal advice with attorney or attorneys of the public body; A.R.S. 38-431.03 (A) (4) – Discussion or consultation with the attorney of the public body in order to consider its position and instruct its attorney regarding the public body’s position regarding contracts that are the subject of negotiations, in pending or contemplated litigation or in settlement discussions conducted in order to avoid or resolve litigation.

Interim City Manager Paul Ramsey commented that this item will have to move into executive session because it is a legal issue.

MOTION

Motion was made by Councilman Tony Raykovitz to move into executive session. Motion was seconded by Councilwoman Kay Hauser.

Motion passed 4 -0

Council moved to executive session at 6:19 p.m.

Council returned to regular session at 6:51 p.m.

MOTION

Motion was made by Councilman Tony Raykovitz to join the Little Colorado Adjudication. Motion was seconded by Councilwoman Kay Hauser.

Motion passed 4-0

5. Consider approval of IGA between the Arizona State Forestry and the Cityof St. Johns.

Assistant Fire Chief Jason Kirk commented that the Arizona State Forestry IGA was due two years ago. The State has continued on with the lease in the past couple of years. This agreement has a few changes.

MOTION

Motion was made by Councilwoman Kay Hauser to approve the IGA with the Arizona State Forestry. Motion was seconded by Councilman Tony Raykovitz.

Motion passed 4-0

CITY MANAGERS REPORT

  • Paving Plan

Mr. Ramsey brought before the Council the next 4 year paving plan which includes the 2016 year. The plan for this year is 13th W., 7th S., Buckboard, Horse Shoe, and the South end of 24th. 13th W. and 7th S. will start construction this next week. The bids will be opened on Monday for Buckboard, Horse Shoe, a portion of 24th and the East side of City Hall. We will bring the recommendation of the bid to the Council.

CITY POLICE CHIEF REPORT

  • Dog and Cat Clinic

On Saturday, April 23rd we had the Dog and Cat Clinic and had 35 animals vaccinated.

  • Car Seat Installation Clinic

With Apache County Public Health we had a Car Seat Installation Clinic to make people aware of the correct way to install a car seat in the car.

  • VIP’s

The VIP’s worked 400 hours this last month. We now have 11 VIP’s. Chief Brown introduced the 4 new VIP’s to the Council.

Austin Williams, Ward Bunyan, Mary Kowalczyk, Maria Chavez-Torturica. The 4 new VIP’s just graduated from the VIP course.

Mayor Patterson congratulated the 4 new VIP’s.

  • SCET Officer

Chief Brown also introduced Thomas Drane as the second SCET Officer that will be working with Trett Bishop.

FUTURE AGENDA ITEMS

  • Planning & Zoning – We are allowing mobile homes to come in to the community that are as old as 1976. I would like to change that to be not more than 15 years old. Councilman Tony Raykovitz
  • Councilman Pete Hancock ask for all future agenda items for the last 4 month.
  • Councilman Pete Hancock stated that there are 3 persons in town that do fire assessments on homes in town.
  • Finance Director/City Clerk Timothy Hinton commented that the Planning and Zoning Commission met last night and would like to change the zoning of an address on 4th West.

ADJOURNMENT

MOTION

Motion was made by Councilman Tony Raykovitz to adjourn the meeting. Motion was seconded by Councilwoman Kay Hauser.

Motion passed 4-0

Meeting adjourned at 7:07 p.m.

Ryan Patterson, Mayor

ATTEST:

Cindy Lee, Deputy City Clerk

CERTIFICATION

I hereby certify that the forgoing minutes are a true and correct copy of the minutes of the regular meeting of the St. Johns City Council held May 11, 2016. I certify that the meeting was duly called, held and that a quorum was present.

Cindy Lee, Deputy City Clerk

*Please note: Approved minutes are not verbatim record of what happened at the City Council Meeting, they capture a summary of the meeting as well as all action taken. A recording of the entire meeting is available upon request at the City Clerk’s office for three months following each meeting.

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City Council Regular Meeting

May 11, 2016

“The City of St. Johns is an Equal Opportunity Provider and Employer.”