City Council Regular Meeting on 2025-08-05 6:00 PM — Maricopa, AZ
Date: 2025-08-06

City Hall
 City of Maricopa 39700 W. Civic Center
 Plaza
 Maricopa, AZ 85138
 Meeting Agenda Ph: (520) 568-9098
 Fx: (520) 568-9120
 City Council Regular Meeting www.maricopa-az.gov


 Mayor Nancy Smith
 Vice-Mayor Henry Wade
 Councilmember Eric Goettl
 Councilmember AnnaMarie Knorr
 Councilmember Amber Liermann
 Councilmember Vincent Manfredi
 Councilmember Bob Marsh

Tuesday, August 5, 2025 6:00 PM Council Chambers



 Procedure for Addressing the City Council


The Maricopa City Council values citizen comments and input. If you wish to speak on a matter
concerning Maricopa city government that is on the agenda, please fill out a speaker card and give it to
the City Clerk before the meeting starts. The Mayor will call your name when that portion of the agenda
is reached.

The Call to the Public portion on the agenda provides citizens an opportunity to identify for the City
Council matters of interest or concern related to city government that are not on the printed agenda.
Under the provisions of the Arizona Open Meeting Law, the City Council is prohibited from responding
to issues that have not been properly noticed. Therefore, the City Council may only listen to citizens
who wish to address them on non-agenda items. We regret that the City Council cannot respond
beyond thanking you for your comments. City staff will follow-up on your questions via telephone or
email, whichever is preferred. A speaker card is not required for this portion of the meeting but it is
appreciated.

Whenever any group of persons wishes to address the City Council on the same subject matter, it
shall be proper for the Mayor to request that a spokesperson be chosen.

The City asks that, when your name is called, you come forward to the podium, state your name and
then begin speaking. All speakers are expected to observe common standards of decorum and
courtesy. Personal attacks, political speeches, or threats of political action are inappropriate in this
forum and will be grounds, at the discretion of the Mayor, for ending a speaker's time at the podium.

In the event that the meeting is disrupted in any way that the City in its sole discretion deems
inappropriate, the City reserves the right to immediately remove the individual(s) from the meeting.
Reasons for removing an individual include but are not limited to making offensive remarks or
statements, disrespectful statements or actions, and any other action deemed appropriate.

All remarks shall be addressed to the City Council as a body and not to staff or the public. No person
other than a member of the City Council, the City Manager or the City Attorney and the person having
the floor, shall be permitted to enter into any discussion without the permission of the Mayor.
Depending on the number of items on the Council agenda and the number of speaker cards submitted,
the Mayor may establish shorter time limits for speakers.



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City Council Regular Meeting Meeting Agenda August 5, 2025



1. Call to Order

 Invocation
 Pledge of Allegiance

2. Roll Call


3. Proclamations, Acknowledgements, Awards and Presentations


4. Report from the Mayor

 The Mayor, members of Council or other designee, may present information related to
 the operation of the city.

5. Report from the City Manager


6. Call to the Public

 The procedures to follow if you address the Council are: Council requests that you
 express your ideas in three minutes or less and refrain from any personal attacks or
 derogatory statements about any City employee, a fellow citizen, or anyone else, whether
 in the audience or not. The Mayor will limit discussion whenever they deem such an
 action appropriate to the proper conduct of the meeting. At the conclusion of an open call
 to the public, individual members of the Council may respond to criticism made by those
 who have addressed the Council, may ask Staff to review a matter, or may ask that a
 matter be put on a future agenda. However, members of the Council shall not discuss or
 take legal action on any matters during an open call to the public unless the matters are
 properly noticed for discussion and legal action. Finally, a word on decorum at our
 meetings. Periodically, we may want to applaud a success or show our approval of a
 comment and occasionally, we may personally disagree with something that is said.
 However, when we’re hearing input from our City Council and our residents, whether we
 support their comments or disagree with their comments, please do not applaud or
 negatively respond to a speaker unless invited to do so by the presiding authority. It is
 important that every person who addresses the City Council has a right to speak and not
 be intimidated.

7. Consent Agenda

 All items on the Consent Agenda are considered to be routine matters and will be
 enacted by one motion of the Council. There will be no separate discussion of these
 items unless a Councilmember or member of the public so requests, in which event the
 item will be removed from the Consent Agenda and considered in its normal sequence on
 the agenda.


 7.1 RES 25-28 A Resolution of the Mayor and City Council of the City of Maricopa, Arizona, accepting
 public improvements and maintenance responsibility for all local internal streets within
 the El Rancho Santa Rosa Parcel 4, into the City Street/Road Maintenance System.
 Discussion and Action.




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City Council Regular Meeting Meeting Agenda August 5, 2025



 7.2 RES 25-29 A Resolution of the Mayor and City Council of the City of Maricopa, Arizona, accepting
 public improvements and maintenance responsibility for all local internal streets within
 the El Rancho Santa Rosa Parcel 6, into the City Street/Road Maintenance System.
 Discussion and Action.


 7.3 LIQ 25-07 The Mayor and City Council shall discuss and take action on recommending approval to
 the Arizona Department of Liquor License and Control regarding an application submitted
 on behalf of Say Sushi which is located at 21101 N. John Wayne Parkway, Suite 103.
 Discussion and Action.


 7.4 RES 25-32 A Resolution of the Mayor and City Council of the City of Maricopa, Arizona, approving
 and adopting the First Amendment to the amended and restated development agreement
 between the City of Maricopa and Vestar Arizona XLIX, LLC, an Arizona Limited Liability
 Company in compliance with A.R.S. §9-500.05. Discussion and Action.


 7.5 MISC 25-19 The Mayor and City Council shall discuss and take action to approve the 2025 updated
 Title VI Non-Discrimination Implementation Plan, which is related to Section 5307 transit
 funding. Discussion and Action.


 7.6 MIN 25-48 Approval of Minutes from the July 15, 2025 City Council Regular meeting. Discussion and
 Action.


8. Regular Agenda and/or Public Hearings

 Items on the agenda are open for citizen input. Please fill out a card and present it to
 the City Clerk before the meeting begins. The Mayor will call upon you for your
 comments.


 8.1 PRES 25-15 The Council shall hear a presentation from the Community Enrichment Department
 providing a summary recap of the 2025 Wild West Music Fest. Discussion only.


9. Executive Session

 The Maricopa City Council may go into executive session, which is not open to the
 public, for purpose of obtaining legal advice from the City’s attorney on any of the above
 agenda items pursuant to A.R.S. § 38-431.03 (A)(3).




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City Council Regular Meeting Meeting Agenda August 5, 2025



10. Adjournment

 Note: This meeting is open to the public. All interested persons are welcome to
 attend. Council members of the City of Maricopa City Council will attend either in person
 or by telephonic conference or video communication. Supporting documents and staff
 reports, which were furnished to the City Council with this agenda, are available for review
 on our website, www.maricopa-az.gov.

 Physical access to the meeting room will be available 15 minutes prior to the meeting
 start time.

 Persons with a disability may request a reasonable accommodation, such as a sign
 language interpreter, by contacting the City Clerk’s Office at 520-316-6970. Requests
 should be made as early as possible to allow time to arrange the accommodation.

 NOTICE TO PARENTS: Parents and legal guardians have the right to consent before
 the City of Maricopa makes a video or voice recording of a minor child A.R.S.
 §1-602.A.9. Maricopa City Council meetings are recorded and may be viewed on Channel
 20 and the Maricopa website. If you permit your child to participate in the Council
 meeting, a recording will be made. If your child is seated in the audience, your child may
 be recorded, but you may request that your child be seated in a designated area to avoid
 recording. Please submit your request to the City Clerk at (520) 316-6970.




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City Hall
 City of Maricopa 39700 W. Civic Center
 Plaza
 Maricopa, AZ 85138
 Meeting Minutes - Final Ph: (520) 568-9098
 Fx: (520) 568-9120
 City Council Regular Meeting www.maricopa-az.gov

 Mayor Nancy Smith
 Vice-Mayor Henry Wade
 Councilmember Eric Goettl
 Councilmember AnnaMarie Knorr
 Councilmember Amber Liermann
 Councilmember Vincent Manfredi
 Councilmember Bob Marsh

Tuesday, August 5, 2025 6:00 PM Council Chambers



 1. Call to Order

 Mayor Smith called the meeting to order at 6:02 p.m. An invocation was given by
 Pastor Kevin Teeling, from The Door Church of Maricopa, which was followed by the
 Pledge of Allegiance led by Councilmember Marsh.


 2. Roll Call
 Present: 7 - Mayor Nancy Smith, Vice Mayor Henry Wade, Councilmember Eric Goettl,
 Councilmember AnnaMarie Knorr, Councilmember Amber Liermann,
 Councilmember Vincent Manfredi and Councilmember Bob Marsh


 3. Proclamations, Acknowledgements, Awards and Presentations

 No proclamations, acknowledgements, or awards were given.


 4. Report from the Mayor

 Councilmember Marsh reported attending a lunch and learn at the Maricopa Senior
 Center on July 17. He also reported participating in a ribbon cutting for Baskin
 Robbins on July 19 with other council members. Next, Councilmember Marsh shared
 that he had attended the Senior Advisory Committee meeting on July 21. On July 24,
 he chaired a session of the Pinal County Board of Adjustment in Florence, noting there
 was still no update on the zoning code. Additionally, he shared about joining an online
 Pinal Partnership Breakfast Meeting on August 1 focused on economic development in
 Pinal County. Lastly, on August 4, he reported joining Mayor Smith and
 Councilmember Liermann for a tour of the Maricopa Express Transit fixed loop bus
 route, noting the bus runs free hourly on a one-hour loop until 4:30 p.m. and suggested
 the state redesign and incorporate an east loop route to accommodate Maricopa's
 growth.

 Councilmember Liermann thanked everyone for attending and reminded citizens about
 two alert systems: the Maricopa Community Alert Network for city alerts, which can be
 accessed on the city website under the enrichment department, and the Pinal
 Emergency Notification System for county alerts including State Route 347
 information. She also announced that applications for the third cycle of city art grants
 would open in the next week.



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 Councilmember Knorr thanked the Copper Sky staff, Maricopa Police, and Maricopa
 Fire for the water safety demonstration held on National Drowning Prevention Day,
 which was July 26. She described how they conducted a drowning simulation with
 Banner Air and Air Methods flying in helicopters to demonstrate emergency response.
 She noted that many community resources were available in the wet room at Cooper
 Sky Aquatic Center providing information about drowning prevention and water safety.
 Councilmember Knorr also shared that she attended Lowe’s grand opening board
 cutting ceremony.

 Councilmember Manfredi shared the importance of new businesses opening in
 Maricopa, specifically mentioning Baskin Robbins and Lowe's. He emphasized that
 retail jobs provide important opportunities for teenagers, college students, and
 residents who want to avoid commuting on State Route 347. Additionally,
 Councilmember Manfredi noted that 98% of employees at these new businesses are
 Maricopa residents. He also reported on his attendance at a Rural Transportation
 Advisory Committee meeting where he advocated for continued funding for State Route
 347 improvements, the Sonoran Desert Parkway, and other transportation needs.
 Lastly, Councilmember Manfredi stressed that while funding for State Route 347 has
 been promised, it is not yet secured, and further legislative action will be needed next
 year.

 Vice Mayor Wade reported attending Lowe’s grand opening ceremony and noted that
 they had a large contingent of military veterans among their employees who wore
 camouflage vests. Next, he also shared that he attended a ribbon cutting for S.Y.N.
 Game Card. Lastly, Vice Mayor Wade expressed satisfaction that the first day of
 school had proceeded smoothly with no major transportation issues.

 Mayor Smith shared that she had attended Lowe’s grand opening, noting that the store
 manager had started as a cashier and worked her way up to management. She
 reported that 98% of Lowe's staff are Maricopa residents, including some who left
 professional jobs in the Valley to work closer to home. Mayor Smith also shared that
 while attending the grand opening of Baskin Robins, the manager shared with her that
 Maricopa was chosen because Maricopa knew how to love their small businesses and
 make them successful. Mayor Smith announced upcoming events to celebrate
 progress on State Route 347, including a free swim day and family fun event at Copper
 Sky on Saturday, August 9, from 12-5 PM, and a potluck for residents 55 and older on
 August 12, from 11 AM - 1 PM. She explained that while ground has not yet been
 broken, the funding milestone after 14 years of effort deserves celebration, and boards
 will be available to educate residents about the project.


 5. Report from the City Manager

 City Manager Ben Bitter announced that the City of Maricopa will host an intern through
 Arizona State University's Marvin Andrews Fellowship/Jane Morris Scholarship
 program. He noted that the university’s M.P.A program is ranked second in the
 country, and this fellowship program helps develop the next generation of leaders in the
 state. He added that the intern coming from the program is from Nevada and
 completed her undergraduate degree at the University of Tennessee, where she was on
 the rowing team and participated in global outreach, including helping a Parks and
 Recreation Department in the Philippines. Lastly, Mr. Bitter shared that she will begin
 working with the city on August 18 and will be with them for approximately two years.


 6. Call to the Public


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 Kennith Alexander introduced himself as a recent resident who moved to Maricopa with
 his wife about two years ago. He identified himself as a producer, songwriter, touring
 musician, and musical director for mainstream artists since 2002, with his own
 production company called Drum Major Entertainment. He proposed a multi-genre
 concert series featuring local and mainstream artists in an intimate venue. Mr.
 Alexander explained that the program would mentor youth by involving them in sound,
 lighting, staging, filming, marketing through social media, and even performances. He
 requested city support for this initiative and provided his email for further contact.

 Ocean Kent shared information about an upcoming cancer walk called "Boots on the
 Ground, 10 Toes Down" scheduled for November 15. She explained that the walk has
 several sponsors, including Silk Press Express, UPS Store, JP Rentals, and Maricopa
 Lifestyle Magazine. Ms. Kent stated they are looking for a local organization to receive
 funds raised by the event and need additional sponsorships to secure Copper Sky as
 the venue. Lastly, she encouraged community participation and directed interested
 parties to flyers with a QR code for registration.

 Rich Vitiello, County Supervisor, provided an update on the zoning code mentioned by
 Councilmember Marsh, stating that a committee would be formed around November
 with 5-10 people from each district to finalize the code. He also informed residents that
 he has a meeting room available for public use at no charge between 9 AM and 4:30
 PM at the Pinal County Government Offices in Maricopa. Additionally, he announced
 that the county recently released a free title protection service that notifies property
 owners if someone attempts to tamper with their property title. Residents can sign up
 for this service at the county building in Maricopa with a driver's license or state ID.


 7. Consent Agenda


 Approval of the Consent Agenda

 A motion was made by Councilmember Vincent Manfredi, seconded by
 Councilmember AnnaMarie Knorr, to Adopt the Consent Agenda. The motion
 carried unanimously.

 7.1 RES 25-28 A Resolution of the Mayor and City Council of the City of Maricopa, Arizona, accepting
 public improvements and maintenance responsibility for all local internal streets within
 the El Rancho Santa Rosa Parcel 4, into the City Street/Road Maintenance System.
 Discussion and Action.
 This Resolution was Approved.


 7.2 RES 25-29 A Resolution of the Mayor and City Council of the City of Maricopa, Arizona, accepting
 public improvements and maintenance responsibility for all local internal streets within
 the El Rancho Santa Rosa Parcel 6, into the City Street/Road Maintenance System.
 Discussion and Action.
 This Resolution was Approved.


 7.3 LIQ 25-07 The Mayor and City Council shall discuss and take action on recommending approval
 to the Arizona Department of Liquor License and Control regarding an application
 submitted on behalf of Say Sushi which is located at 21101 N. John Wayne Parkway,
 Suite 103. Discussion and Action.
 This Liquor License was Approved.

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City Council Regular Meeting Meeting Minutes - Final August 5, 2025


 7.4 RES 25-32 A Resolution of the Mayor and City Council of the City of Maricopa, Arizona, approving
 and adopting the First Amendment to the amended and restated development
 agreement between the City of Maricopa and Vestar Arizona XLIX, LLC, an Arizona
 Limited Liability Company in compliance with A.R.S. §9-500.05. Discussion and
 Action.
 This Resolution was Approved.


 7.5 MISC 25-19 The Mayor and City Council shall discuss and take action to approve the 2025 updated
 Title VI Non-Discrimination Implementation Plan, which is related to Section 5307
 transit funding. Discussion and Action.
 This Miscellaneous Item was Approved


 7.6 MIN 25-48 Approval of Minutes from the July 15, 2025 City Council Regular meeting. Discussion
 and Action.
 These Minutes were Approved.


 8. Regular Agenda and/or Public Hearings

 8.1 PRES 25-15 The Council shall hear a presentation from the Community Enrichment Department
 providing a summary recap of the 2025 Wild West Music Fest. Discussion only.

 Quinn Konold, Community Enrichment Director, presented a comprehensive summary
 of the 2025 Wild West Music Fest. He opened by highlighting how Maricopa's rapid
 growth has integrated quality of life enhancements, including event tourism, into
 significant city discussions. Mr. Konold referenced the strategic priorities identified
 during the February 2023 Futures Planning meeting, specifically focusing on objective
 5.1, which aims to attract visitors through sports and event tourism, and objective 5.2,
 which aims to celebrate 20 years as a city with a world-class event. He elaborated that
 the initial plan was to revive Stagecoach Days, but that name posed challenges in
 partnership negotiations, leading the city to reserve it for a city-owned event. Instead,
 Mr. Konold and his staff launched the Wild West Music Fest as a new tourism
 initiative.

 Mr. Konold outlined a detailed timeline: In March 2023, the city issued an invitation for
 bid seeking a partner to produce the event. By May 2023, the invitation for bid was
 awarded to Steve LeVine Entertainment and Public Relations, and the first Wild West
 Music Fest took place in October 2023, celebrating the city's 20th anniversary. He
 detailed the continuity into April 2025, when the second Wild West Music Fest was
 held, and by May, the Council updated its strategic priorities. He ended by sharing that
 these now emphasize using bed tax funds to minimize local taxpayer impact while
 bolstering local business and enhancing Maricopa's regional profile.

 Next, Mr. Konold compared the inaugural and subsequent events: the 2023 fest
 attracted an estimated 15,000 attendees over three days, with a city investment of
 $350,000. The event's total expenses reached approximately $1.1 million, generating
 approximately $826,000 in revenue, resulting in a net deficit of approximately $251,000,
 which Steve LeVine Entertainment absorbed. By 2025, attendance approximated
 9,500, with a city investment reduced to $265,000. He added that total expenses were
 approximately $463,000, and revenue reached approximately $466,000, yielding a net
 profit of around $2,315.



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City Council Regular Meeting Meeting Minutes - Final August 5, 2025

 Next, he presented a detailed economic impact study, which the City partnered with
 Implan to complete. He shared that the event generated about $2.84 million in total
 economic impact for the area. In addition, Mr. Konold shared that demographic data
 indicated that 74% of attendees were Maricopa residents, with the remaining 26%
 visiting from other cities or out of state.

 Mayor Smith cited the Chandler Ostrich Festival as a comparative example, which
 required seven years to achieve profitability. She stressed that the $2.84 million
 economic benefit to local businesses was significant relative to the city's $250,000
 investment. She noted that approximately 7,000 Maricopa residents, around 10% of the
 community—attended, showcasing solid local interest despite it being a paid event.

 Councilmember Knorr raised concerns about the full accounting of the city's
 investment, emphasizing that Steve LeVine Entertainment does not pay facility rental
 fees, which Mr. Konold estimated at $39,420. There was general discussion regarding
 the overtime and in-kind costs being incorporated into future event costs to increase
 transparency in the total costs of similar events.

 Mayor Smith emphasized the distinction between the Wild West Music Fest as a
 tourism event and other city recreational programs, underscoring its primary aim to
 increase local business revenue through tourism. She reiterated that this event is part
 of a strategic initiative to draw visitors to Maricopa, thereby supporting local commerce
 and community growth. She shared that this approach is aimed at circulating more
 money within the city, ultimately benefiting local businesses and residents. Mayor
 Smith also highlighted the significant $2.84 million economic benefit achieved through
 the festival, considering it a noteworthy return on the city’s $250,000 investment and
 illustrating solid local and regional interest.

 Councilmember Goettl strongly advocated establishing well-defined, clear benchmarks
 like economic impact, local business revenue generated, and other traceable metrics
 to comprehensively evaluate the promoter, Steve Levine Entertainment's, performance
 in a critical and consistent manner, measuring their success against specific
 expectations. He emphasized that these benchmarks should not only be precise but
 also cover a broad spectrum of measurable outcomes.There was general discussion
 regarding establishing such benchmarks would be crucial in evaluating whether the
 economic and promotional objectives of the Wild West Music Fest were being met.

 Vice Mayor Wade, along with Councilmembers Knorr and Goettl, suggested the
 inclusion of other organizations in future tourism events. There was general discussion
 regarding the potential for the city to open bid processes, allowing for a diverse range
 of partners to participate in event production, which would ensure not only the growth
 and enhancement of tourism but also promote fairness and inclusivity.

 Councilmember Manfredi highlighted the economic multiplier effect, elaborating that
 the $2.84 million impact from the Wild West Music Fest could potentially expand to as
 much as $14 million as the money continues to circulate within the local economy. He
 explained that when employees, especially those working in food and beverage
 sectors, earn wages from such events, they tend to spend those earnings on various
 incidentals within Maricopa, which further boosts the local economy. Councilmember
 Manfredi advocated strongly for both entertainment and sports tourism, emphasizing
 that drawing external funds into Maricopa through such avenues would not only
 enhance local commerce but also reduce the necessity for residents to spend outside
 the city. He projected enthusiasm for the continued growth and potential of Maricopa,
 citing the importance of both unique events like the Wild West Music Fest and more


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City Council Regular Meeting Meeting Minutes - Final August 5, 2025

 frequent attractions, such as live performances at local venues. Councilmember
 Manfredi concluded by expressing his eagerness to see Maricopa thrive as a
 destination city, where both entertainment and sports tourism play a crucial role in
 retaining local spending and fostering economic growth.

 Mr. Konold shared that the contract with Steve LeVine Entertainment extends through
 2027, with the need for annual renewals to continue each event year. He mentioned
 that the city is currently in the process of negotiating the terms for the third-year
 contract. He emphasized that these discussions remain on analyzing and strategizing
 based on the economic impact trends of the event, which have shown promising
 outcomes like a significant swing from an approximate $251,000 deficit in the first year
 to an approximate $2,315 profit in the second year. Lastly, Mr. Konold shared that this
 economic focus aligns with the city's broader goals to enhance local business revenue
 and Maricopa's regional profile through event tourism.
 The Presentation was heard.


 9. Executive Session

 No executive session was held.


 10. Adjournment

 The meeting was adjourned at 7:31 p.m.


 Certification of Minutes

 I hereby certify that the foregoing minutes are a true and correct copy of the
 minutes of the regular meeting of the City Council of Maricopa, Arizona, held
 on the 5th day of August, 2025. I further certify that the meeting was duly called
 and held and that a quorum was present.

 Dated this 2nd day of September, 2025.



 __________________________
 Vanessa Bueras
 City Clerk




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