Council Workshop — Buckeye, AZ
Date: 2025-12-17

CITY OF BUCKEYE
 COUNCIL WORKSHOP
 DECEMBER 16, 2025
 MINUTES


City Hall - 1st Floor / Executive Conference Room
530 East Monroe Avenue
Buckeye, AZ 85326
3:30 p.m.

1. Call to Order/Roll Call
Mayor Orsborn called the meeting to order at 3:31 p.m.

Members Present: Councilmember Youngker, Councilmember Berry, Councilmember Goodman,
 Councilmember Beard, Vice Mayor Heustis, and Mayor Orsborn.

Members Absent: Councilmember HagEstad.

Departments Present: City Manager Doug Sandstrom, Deputy City Manager Javier Setovich, Deputy
 City Manager Dave Roderique, Deputy City Manager Jared Askelson, City
 Attorney Scott McCoy, City Clerk Lucinda Aja, Chief Human Resources Officer
 Cindy Camarata, Water Resources Director Terry Lowe, Community Services
 Director Miranda Gomez, Development Services Director Brain Craig,
 Economic Development Director Suzie Boyles, Program Management Office
 Director James Shano, Aviation Director Scott Gray, and Interim
 Communications Director John O’Halloran.

A motion was made by Vice Mayor Goodman and seconded by Councilmember Youngker to recess
the workshop until 4:30 p.m. today, at which time the scheduled workshop will resume. Motion passed
unanimously.

Mayor Orsborn reconvened the workshop at 4:30 p.m.

Members Present: Councilmember Youngker (excused at 4:30 p.m.) Councilmember Berry,
 Councilmember Goodman, Councilmember Beard, Vice Mayor Heustis, and
 Mayor Orsborn.

Members Absent: Councilmember HagEstad.

Departments Present: City Manager Doug Sandstrom, Deputy City Manager Javier Setovich, Deputy
 City Manager Dave Roderique, Deputy City Manager Jared Askelson, City
 Attorney Scott McCoy, City Clerk Lucinda Aja, Chief Human Resources Officer
 Cindy Camarata, Water Resources Director Terry Lowe, Community Services
 Director Miranda Gomez, Development Services Director Brain Craig,
 Economic Development Director Suzie Boyles, Program Management Office
 Director James Shano, Aviation Director Scott Gray, and Interim
 Communications Director John O’Halloran.


December 16, 2025 Council Workshop Minutes
2. Workshop Items

2.A Council to receive a summary of findings from the Comprehensive User Fee Study
 for Airport, Development Services (building, planning, fire safety, permitting and
 business license), Community Services, Water Resources and Utility Billing fees
 prepared by consultant MGT.
 Staff Liaison: Brian Craig, Development Services Director

Mr. Craig presented an overview of the Comprehensive User Fee Study, focusing on the
Development Services department. He discussed the philosophy behind the fee updates,
emphasizing cost recovery and efficiency improvements. The study covered various areas, including
entitlement and planning, civil engineering, building safety, fire safety, and business licensing. Mr.
Craig highlighted the use of the building valuation data table to calculate fees, recommending annual
updates to stay current with market conditions. He noted that some fees would decrease due to
process improvements, while others, like grading permits and concept site plans, would increase due
to higher staff involvement. The goal is to achieve approximately 100 percent cost recovery for most
fee categories, with exceptions for pre-application conferences and special event processes to
encourage early engagement and community participation. The proposed fee schedule will be
reviewed internally and posted for public comment before final consideration in the spring. Ms. Gomez
discussed the philosophy of setting fees within the Community Services Department, focusing on
adopting a cost recovery approach. She explained that this approach balances public investment with
user fees, ensuring that services with broad community benefits are more subsidized, while those with
individual benefits aim for full cost recovery. Ms. Gomez highlighted the importance of analyzing
programs and services annually to adjust fees based on actual costs and community priorities. She
presented a pyramid model categorizing programs by their cost recovery goals, with higher subsidies
for community-wide benefits and full cost recovery for individualized services. The goal is to create a
transparent, consistent, and flexible framework for setting fees, allowing for adjustments based on
program performance and community needs. The proposed fee schedule and cost recovery goals will
be reviewed and brought back for final consideration in April. Vice Mayor Goodman requested further
information regarding the potential for lowering fees for special events, particularly for non-profit
events, to avoid discouraging community participation. Mr. Craig responded, explaining that while the
current flat fee for special events is $100, there is flexibility to lower fees after the sixty-day notice
period if there is interest in exploring different fee structures for specific event categories. Vice Mayor
Goodman requested further communication regarding the cost recovery philosophy and how it
ensures that fees are set appropriately based on the actual cost of delivering services. Ms. Gomez
answered, explaining that the cost recovery philosophy involves setting financial strategies that
balance public investment with user fees, analyzing programs annually, and adjusting fees based on
actual costs and community priorities. She emphasized the importance of transparency and
consistency in this approach. Vice Mayor Goodman inquired about the flexibility in adjusting program
enrollments to meet cost recovery goals. Ms. Gomez responded, stating that the department aims to
avoid canceling classes by ensuring they meet community needs and adjusting enrollment numbers
or marketing efforts as necessary. She also mentioned that the cost recovery approach allows for
flexibility in managing program costs and revenues.

3. Adjournment.
There being no further business to discuss, Mayor Orsborn adjourned the meeting at 5:09 p.m.


 ______________________________________
 Eric W. Orsborn, Mayor


December 16, 2025 Council Workshop Minutes
ATTEST:

_____________________________________
Lucinda J. Aja, City Clerk

I hereby certify that the foregoing minutes are a true and correct copy of the Council Workshop held
on December 16, 2025. I further certify that a quorum was present.

_____________________________________
Lucinda J. Aja, City Clerk




December 16, 2025 Council Workshop Minutes