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The Sierra Vista City Council unanimously approved a resolution to make the community’s longtime informal moniker official by proclaiming Sierra Vista as the Hummingbird Capital of the United States at its regular meeting on Thursday night, which was its final meeting of 2020.

Sierra Vista is already well known for its extraordinary diversity of birds and especially for the 15 species of hummingbirds that migrate through the area each year. With just 17 species of hummingbirds found in the U.S., few other locations boast such a variety and birders from around the world have already come to know Sierra Vista as the Hummingbird Capital of the United States.

Thursday’s action makes the designation official at the local level and also puts forth a request to state representatives to pass a similar resolution in the upcoming legislature. The designation was initiated by outgoing City Council Member Gwen Calhoun who, along with Council Member Kristine Wolfe, were honored for their service as their terms expire at the end of the month. Calhoun served 10 years on the council and Wolfe served four.

In January, newly elected Council Members Gregory Johnson and Angelica Landry will take their seats and Mayor Pro-Tem Rachel Gray will begin a new four-year term after being reelected.

In other business:

• The City Council unanimously approved the Program Year 2019 Consolidated Annual Performance Evaluation Report, which describes how the City used federal funds granted by the U.S Department of Housing and Urban Development under the Community Development Block Grant program.
• The City Council unanimously approved a code amendment to change the maximum number of Planning and Zoning Commission members from seven to five, which aligns code with the Board and Commission Practice and Procedures Guidelines that were amended in June, 2020.
• The City Council unanimously approved updated development fees corresponding to the Land Use Assumptions and Infrastructure Improvement Plan approved by the City Council on Sept. 10, 2020. The council also approved a reduction of the City’s excess construction sales tax to align with the City’s standard sales tax rate of 1.95 percent, which offsets much of the increase in development fees and improves efficiency in budgeting and reporting requirements. The changes take effect March 1, 2021.
• The City Council unanimously approved a transfer of funds from the General Fund to the Park Development Fee Fund, making use of higher than projected revenue to help reduce a deficit in the Park Development Fee Fund.
• The City Council unanimously approved a payment plan with Castle & Cooke Arizona for the Avenida del Sol sewer interceptor.
• The City Council unanimously approved amendments to the Infill Incentive District Policy intended to facilitate the reuse and redevelopment of vacant, underutilized, and distressed property in the West Sierra Vista and Cloud 9 planning areas.
• The City Council unanimously approved the Public Transportation Agency Safety Plan.
• The City Council unanimously approved an addendum to the City Manager’s contract, increase the annual base salary by 2 percent, which is the same increase that was received by all classified City employees this year.
• The City Council voted 5-2 to approve a resolution in support of All Aboard Arizona’s efforts to expand Amtrak service in the region. Council Members Kristine Wolfe and William Benning voted against the resolution.
• The City Council unanimously approved the appointments of Barbara Fleming, Neil Gago, and Ron York to the Sierra Vista Employee Benefit Trust.

Details on these council items are available in the supporting documents for the Thursday, Dec. 10, City Council meeting. They can be accessed via the “City Council” folder on the City’s document server at docserve.sierravistaaz.gov/.

City Council meetings can be streamed live and past meetings can be viewed on YouTube. The meetings are also aired on Cox Channel 12. Learn more at www.sierravistaaz.gov/your-government/mayor-council/council-meetings/.

The Sierra Vista City Council will consider numerous action items at its final meeting of 2020. Outgoing commission members will also receive certificates of appreciation. To review the full agenda and documents providing background on each item, head here.

The Sierra Vista City Council unanimously approved an agreement with Cochise County for court co-location and operations at its regular meeting on Thursday.

The agreement marks the conclusion of efforts by the county and City to update the funding formula used to determine the City’s fair share of costs associated with the county conducting its municipal court services by handling civil, civil traffic, and misdemeanors cited into Justice Court, Precinct 5, by Sierra Vista. The City has partnered with Cochise County to provide the operation of a consolidated court since 1990 and this new agreement will take effect on Jan. 1, 2021. It will be renewed on July 1 each year starting in 2022, unless either party decides to end the agreement with 120 days’ notice.

“Developing this agreement was a true team effort between the City and the county,” Assistant City Manager Victoria Yarbrough says. “We appreciate all the county’s hard work and analysis to ensure we arrived at an agreement that accurately reflects court costs and will serve both organizations well in the long term.”

Under the agreement, the City will budget $276,807 for court services in fiscal year 2021-22.

In other business the City Council unanimously approved amendments to the City’s Community Development Block Grant plans allocating an additional $239,351 in federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief & Economic Security Act (CARES Act) funds to an Emergency Crisis Fund administered by the United Way. This fund provides a variety of assistance to local residents impacted by COVID-19, to include help with rent, utilities, employment, food, education, homelessness, and mental health.

Details on these council items are available in the supporting documents for the Thursday, Oct. 12, City Council meeting. They can be accessed via the “City Council” folder on the City’s document server at docserve.sierravistaaz.gov/.

City Council meetings can be streamed live and past meetings can be viewed on YouTube. The meetings are also aired on Cox Channel 12. Learn more at www.sierravistaaz.gov/your-government/mayor-council/council-meetings/

At its regular work session on Tuesday, Oct. 20, the Sierra Vista City Council will discuss whether to remove one or more traffic signals as part of the West Fry/North Garden Redevelopment Project.

The presentation to council provides information on the signals along Fry Boulevard at North Garden Avenue, North Avenue, and Carmichael Avenue. The project will narrow this section of Fry Boulevard, slowing traffic and creating an environment more suitable for walking and bicycling.

The Work Session agenda also includes a COVID-19 status report and a discussion on the Thursday, Oct. 22, Council Meeting agenda.

Thursday's council meeting includes a public hearing item on the adoption of a Development Fee Schedule corresponding to the Land Use Assumptions and Infrastructure Improvements Plans. Learn more.

The Sierra Vista City Council unanimously approved the acceptance of three grants that will support and enhance Sierra Vista Police Department activities at its regular meeting on Thursday night.

Two of the grants were awarded by the Arizona Governor’s Office of Highway Safety (GOHS).

One grant, totaling $31,829, supports DUI/impaired and aggressive driving enforcement efforts throughout the community and surrounding areas. The grant reimburses the City for $21,429 in overtime and $8,571 in Employee Related Expenses tied to deployments conducted in the greater Sierra Vista area and throughout the county as part of the Southeastern Arizona DUI Task Force activities. The grant also reimburses the City for the purchase of four Portable Breath Testers in the amount of $1,829.

The second grant from the Arizona Governor’s Office of Highway Safety covers the $5,220 cost to purchase two LIDAR speed detecting devices. This supports the department’s participation in the GOHS Selective Traffic Enforcement Program, which includes deployments to reduce aggressive driving and enforce child safety restraints, among other traffic violations.

The final grant was awarded via the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention, which administers the Internet Crimes Against Children (ICAC) Task Force. SVPD is an affiliate agency of the Arizona ICAC Task Force and received a grant in the amount of $5,000 for training, investigations, computer forensics, and public awareness in connection with Internet Crimes Against Children.

In other business the City Council unanimously approved the 2020 Title VI Nondiscrimination Plan for Vista Transit. The Commission on Disability Issues also presented a Sierra VistAbility Award to Sierra Toyota.

The Sierra Vista City Council will discuss how to allocate $239,351 in additional Community Development Block Grant dollars provided as part of the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief & Economic Security Act (CARES Act) at its 3 p.m. work session on Tuesday, Oct. 5.

The City received $159,897 in its first allocation of CDBG Cares Act dollars in April and divided the funds between grant assistance for micro and small businesses impacted by COVID-19 and to an Emergency Crisis Fund administered by United Way. This fund provides a variety of assistance to local residents impacted by COVID-19, to include help with rent, utilities, employment, food, education, homelessness, and mental health. Learn more about Tuesday's proposal to extend further assistance for this fund.

In other business the City Council will discuss:

• The Strategic Leadership Plan FY2020-21 One Year Update
• The July/August Council Executive Report
• The Oct. 8 City Council Meeting agenda
• Recent trips, meetings, and future meetings
• Future discussion items and council requests

Access the agenda for Tuesday's work session.

In a special City Council meeting held Tuesday afternoon, City Council members voted unanimously to approve a real estate purchase in the City’s West End for $230,000.03.

Located on south Fab Avenue, the lot is currently occupied by an older strip mall where a handful of businesses operate. Business owners have been notified by the current property owner that they will need to vacate by Nov. 30, 2020. The City is working with business owners to find new locations.

The structure will be demolished in the next fiscal year to make way for stormwater mitigation infrastructure. The sale is scheduled to close on Sept. 30, 2020.

The Sierra Vista City Council voted unanimously to adopt a Land Use Assumptions and Infrastructure Improvement Plan, which lays the foundation for proposed development fees that will be considered in October and December.

The plan forecasts future growth and public improvements that will be needed to serve new residents and development. Adoption of the plan is the second of four steps required to implement new development fees that will be considered at a public hearing on Thursday, Oct. 22, before coming back for final consideration by the City Council on Thursday, Dec. 10. The fees would take effect on March 1, 2021.

Development fees, also known as impact fees, are a one-time fee on residential and commercial development that covers the costs associated with additional public facilities and services that will be needed for the new construction like public safety, roads, parks, and library services. In the past, the City levied development fees on police, fire, and infrastructure at 75 percent, which was offset by a 0.7 percent increase in the construction sales tax.

Under the current fee proposal that will be considered in October, the City would levy all development fees at 100 percent, while reducing the excess construction sales tax to the City’s standard sales tax rate of 1.95 percent. This would improve efficiency in budgeting and in meeting reporting requirements.

Under the proposed rates, a developer would pay $5,373 for a newly constructed single family home, compared to $4,095 using current rates if all fees were levied at 100 percent. That increased cost would be offset in part by construction sales tax savings, which would amount to an estimated $1,056 on a $325,000 home.

In other business:

• The City Council voted 6-1 to adopt an Intergovernmental Agreement with Cochise County for Consolidated Court Services effective through Dec. 31, 2020. Council Member Kristine Wolfe voted not to adopt the agreement. The agreement is scheduled for consideration by the Cochise County Board of Supervisors at its Sept. 29 meeting.
• The City Council unanimously approved a development agreement for phase 2 and 3 of the Casa Del Sol apartments, a low-income tax credit senior living community located at 1020 South Carmichael Avenue.

Details on these council items are available in the supporting documents for the Thursday, Sept. 10, City Council meeting. They can be accessed via the “City Council” folder on the City’s document server at docserve.sierravistaaz.gov/.

City Council meetings can be streamed live and past meetings can be viewed on YouTube. The meetings are also aired on Cox Channel 12. Learn more at www.sierravistaaz.gov/your-government/mayor-council/council-meetings/.