CHRIS KUKNYO: THEY ACTUALLY WORK.
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THESE ARE GOOD.[ CALL TO ORDER]
GOOD MORNING, EVERYONE, AND WELCOME TO THE JOINT P&Z MEETING.TODAY, THE VICE CHAIR WILL DO THE PLEDGE OF ALLEGIANCE.
ALL: I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION UNDER GOD, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL.
BROOKS COMPTON: VICE CHAIR, YOU WANT TO MAKE A COMMENT? NIKKI CHECK: OH, YEAH.
AS WE BEGIN, I JUST WANT TO NOTE THE ABSENCE OF ONE OF DISTRICT 3'S PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSIONERS, RENNIE RADOCCIA, WHO HAD AN EXTREME MEDICAL EVENT AND RESIGNED.
HE'S LUCKY TO BE ALIVE, BUT I WANT TO JUST TAKE A MOMENT AND COMMEMORATE HIS MANY, MANY YEARS OF DEDICATION NOT ONLY TO THE COUNTY BUT SEVERAL OTHER JURISDICTIONS AND BOARDS.
HE WAS AN INTEGRAL PART OF GROWING OUR COMMUNITY AND SHAPING IT TO BE THE WAY THAT IT IS NOW.
AND I ASK THAT YOU ALL JOIN ME IN WISHING HIM THE BEST IN A NEW, HOPEFULLY MORE RELAXED LIFESTYLE.
JAYME, COULD YOU DO THE ROLL CALL, PLEASE? JAYME RUSH: CHAIR COMPTON? BROOKS COMPTON: HERE.
JAYME RUSH: VICE CHAIR CHECK? NIKKI CHECK: HERE.
JAYME RUSH: SUPERVISOR JENKINS? DEE JENKINS: HERE.
JAYME RUSH: SUPERVISOR KUKNYO? CHRIS KUKNYO: HERE.
JAYME RUSH: SUPERVISOR MALLORY? MARY MALLORY: HERE.
JAYME RUSH: ALSO IN ATTENDANCE, COMMISSIONER PAIZ? RAYMOND PAIZ: HERE.
JAYME RUSH: COMMISSIONER BUCHANAN? LINDA BUCHANAN: HERE.
JAYME RUSH: COMMISSIONER GARRISON? RANDALL GARRISON: PRESENT.
JAYME RUSH: COMMISSIONER CHERRY? DAN CHERRY: HERE.
JAYME RUSH: COMMISSIONER EASTWOOD? MICHAEL EASTWOOD: HERE.
JAYME RUSH: COMMISSIONER GRIFFIS? SANDY GRIFFIS: PRESENT.
JAYME RUSH: AND COMMISSIONER SCHUMACHER.
JAYME RUSH: YOU HAVE A QUORUM.
BROOKS COMPTON: THANK YOU SO MUCH, JAYME.
[1. Opening Remarks - Board of Supervisors and Planning & Zoning Commission to outline goals as needed.]
WELL, I THANK EVERYONE FOR BEING HERE TODAY.I KNOW IT'S BEEN A WHILE, BUT IT WAS IMPORTANT TO ME TO ENSURE THAT WE GOT THE NEW DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DIRECTOR IN PLACE BEFORE WE PROCEEDED FORWARD.
AND I KNOW THERE'S MANY THINGS FOR US TO ACCOMPLISH OVER THE NEXT FEW MONTHS, YEARS, CERTAINLY.
AND IT'S JUST-- NOW'S THE RIGHT TIME.
WE HAVE A FEW THINGS ON THE AGENDA TODAY, BUT THE GOAL IS FOR THIS TO BE A COMPLETELY OPEN SESSION, BACK AND FORTH, WHILE THERE'S ALWAYS SOME FORMALITY, BUT I WANT EVERYBODY TO SPEAK AND SPEAK THEIR MIND SO WE CAN-- HE NEEDS TO HEAR WHAT OUR FEELINGS ARE.
AND I CAN SAY, SO FAR, HE'S BEEN DOING A FANTASTIC JOB.
I'VE HAD HIM OUT ALL OVER DISTRICT 11.
I GAVE HIM THE EASIEST THINGS FIRST, THINGS BUILT IN THE 1850S.
AND HE IS DOWN TO A ONE-WEEK PLAN REVIEW, CORRECT? ALL RIGHT.
SO ALL THAT'S GOING WELL IN DISTRICT 1.
AND HE IS THE NEW RURAL SERVICES DIRECTOR, JUST SO THERE'S A MINOR CHANGE IN-- JUST KIDDING, MARY.
[LAUGHTER] MARY MALLORY: I DON'T THINK WE WERE ON THESE MEETINGS THAT YOU WERE HAVING.
WELL, I HAD TO TEST THEM OUT, SEE HOW THINGS WERE GOING.
SO ANYWAYS, AT THIS TIME, DOES ANYBODY-- PLANNING AND ZONING HAVE ANY COMMENTS THEY'D LIKE TO MAKE IN THE BEGINNING? NO? OK.
[2. Yavapai County Development Services Strategic Plan - Presentation on current priorities, operational goals, and strategic initiatives for the Development Services Department. Presenter: Jacob Armstrong, Yavapai County Development Services Director]
THEN I WILL TURN IT OVER TO JACOB.LET'S GO AHEAD AND HOOK THE PRESENTATION UP.
WELL, GOOD MORNING, CHAIR, BOARD MEMBERS, COMMISSIONERS.
I'M DEVELOPMENT SERVICES DIRECTOR.
SO I JUST WANT TO TAKE A MOMENT TO LET YOU ALL KNOW IT'S BEEN THREE MONTHS ON THE JOB.
I ACTUALLY STARTED THREE MONTHS AGO, AS OF TODAY'S DATE ON JULY 20, SO EXACTLY THREE MONTHS.
AND SO I JUST WANTED TO TAKE THE OPPORTUNITY TO SAY THAT I'M GRATEFUL.
I LOOK FORWARD TO WORKING WITH THE COMMISSION AND THE BOARD.
I LOOK FORWARD TO SERVING THE COMMUNITY AND CITIZENS IN THE INDUSTRIES THAT RELY ON US.
SO THIS MORNING I'M GOING TO TALK ABOUT A STRATEGIC PLAN FOR DEVELOPMENT SERVICES.
SO FIRST, I WANT TO START-- WHAT IS A STRATEGIC PLAN? I WOULD SAY IT'S THREE THINGS.
FIRST, IT'S A HIGH-LEVEL-- A LONG-TERM FRAMEWORK FOR THE DIRECTION THAT WE WANT TO TAKE THE DEPARTMENT.
SECONDLY, I THINK IT'S AN IMPLEMENTATION PLAN.
IT'S WHERE WE DEVELOP WORK PLANS, SCHEDULES, DELIVERABLES, ALL UNDER THAT STRATEGIC PLAN FRAMEWORK.
AND LASTLY, IT'S HOW WE DEFINE AND MEASURE SUCCESS.
IT'S HOW WE ESTABLISH PERFORMANCE OBJECTIVES, PERFORMANCE GOALS BY BEING DATA-DRIVEN AND BEING ABLE TO HAVE OUTCOMES THAT WE COULD MEASURE.
AND THAT'S VERY IMPORTANT IN THIS LINE OF WORK, IN MY EXPERIENCE, IS BEING ABLE TO MEASURE SUCCESS.
SO WITH THAT BEING SAID, I'M GOING TO GO AHEAD AND MOVE FORWARD.
AND OF COURSE, I FORGOT MY GLASSES IN MY BAG, BUT I'M GOING TO MAKE DO, HOPEFULLY.
BUT I'M GOING TO GO A LITTLE BIT ON-SCRIPT HERE, JUST FOR TIME'S SAKE, AND JUST BEAR WITH ME,
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BUT I HAVE A LOT TO COVER.SO LET ME GO AHEAD AND GET STARTED HERE.
THIS IS MY FIRST TIME USING THE CLICKER SO THE PLANNING FOLKS MAY HAVE TO HELP ME.
BECCA? [LAUGHTER] BECCA SIRAKIS: OK.
I WILL WALK THROUGH THE MAJOR AREAS OF FOCUS, HOW WE PRIORITIZE THE WORK, AND HOW WE MOVE FROM A STRATEGIC DIRECTION TO MEASURABLE RESULTS.
SO AS I MENTIONED, A STRATEGIC PLAN GIVES THE DEPARTMENT A SHARED DIRECTION- THANK YOU-- AND A FOCUSED ROADMAP TO MAKE CHOICES WHEN COMPETING DEMANDS EXCEED OUR AVAILABLE CAPACITY.
THE AREA SHOWN HERE ORGANIZED THAT WORK.
CUSTOMER SERVICE CONNECTS TO REGULATORY CLARITY.
ACCOUNTABILITY CONNECTS TO STAFFING AND TRAINING.
ENFORCEMENT AND FUTURE PLANNING HELP US RESPOND TO BOTH TODAY'S NEEDS AND EMERGING ISSUES.
THE GUIDING PRINCIPLE IS STRAIGHTFORWARD-- MAKE IT EASIER TO DO BUSINESS WITH US WHILE MAINTAINING THE REQUIREMENTS AND SAFEGUARDS THE COUNTY EXPECTS.
NEXT, I WANT TO EXPLAIN HOW WE RECOGNIZE PROGRESS.
SUCCESS SHOULD SHOW UP IN A CUSTOMER'S EXPERIENCE, IN THE WAY WE MANAGE THE DEPARTMENT.
FASTER AND MORE PREDICTABLE SERVICE MEANS REDUCING AVOIDABLE DELAYS AND EXPLAINING WHAT HAPPENS NEXT.
CLEAR AND CONSISTENT SERVICE MEANS APPLICANTS AND STAFF CAN UNDERSTAND THE REQUIREMENTS AND THE REASONS BEHIND THE DECISIONS.
ACCOUNTABILITY MEANS WE CAN SHARE OR SHOW WHERE A PROJECT STANDS, WHO IS RESPONSIBLE, AND WHETHER WE ARE MEETING OUR MILESTONES.
A CAPABLE WORKFORCE MEANS STAFF HAVE THE TRAINING AND SUPPORT TO DELIVER THAT SERVICE CONSISTENTLY.
WE WILL USE THE PLAN AS A WORKING MANAGEMENT DOCUMENT, WITH MONTHLY REVIEW AND ADJUSTMENTS AS CIRCUMSTANCES CHANGE.
WE WILL JUDGE PROGRESS THROUGH EVIDENCE, INCLUDING PERFORMANCE MEASURES AND COMPLETED DELIVERABLES.
THESE OUTCOMES ALSO CONNECT TO THE COUNTY'S BROADER PRIORITIES.
SO THIS SLIDE DESCRIBES HOW OUR DEPARTMENT INITIATIVES SUPPORT THE COUNTYWIDE STRATEGIC DIRECTION.
I BASICALLY LOOKED AT THAT AND JUXTAPOSED MY DEPARTMENT'S STRATEGIC PLAN WITH THE COUNTY'S STRATEGIC PLAN AND SEE WHERE OUR STRONGEST DIRECT CONNECTIONS WERE.
AND THE STRONGEST CONNECTIONS WERE IN GOOD GOVERNANCE, HOUSING, AND REGIONAL ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT.
CLEAR REPORTING, DOCUMENTED DECISIONS, AND ISSUE RESOLUTIONS SUPPORT GOOD GOVERNANCE.
MORE PREDICTABLE PERMITTING AND CLEAR ZONING REQUIREMENTS SUPPORT HOUSING AND ECONOMIC ACTIVITY.
THIS ALIGNMENT LABELS DESCRIBE THE STRENGTH OF THOSE CONNECTIONS THERE.
THEY ARE PLANNING ASSESSMENTS RATHER THAN MEASURED PERFORMANCE SCORES.
AS WE DEVELOP INDIVIDUAL PROPOSALS, WE SHOULD MAKE THE COUNTYWIDE BENEFIT EXPLICIT.
THE FIRST AREA OF FOCUS IS THE PERMITTING EXPERIENCE.
CUSTOMERS SHOULD RECEIVE USEFUL INFORMATION ABOUT APPLICATION STATUS, OUTSTANDING REQUIREMENTS, AND THE NEXT STEP.
WE WILL START BY ESTABLISHING BASELINE PROCESSING TIMES AND IDENTIFYING WHERE APPLICANTS WAIT.
THAT GIVES US A BASIS FOR SETTING REALISTIC SERVICE GOALS AND MEASURING IMPROVEMENT.
EXPEDITED REVIEW AND PERMIT IN A DAY OR PERMIT IN A WEEK-- CHAIR? NEED CLEAR ELIGIBILITY CRITERIA AND COORDINATED ROUTING.
WEBSITE GUIDANCE AND CHECKLISTS HELP APPLICANTS SUBMIT COMPLETE INFORMATION.
THE ISSUE RESOLUTION PROGRAM GIVES A COMPLEX OR STALLED MATTERS A DEFINED ROUTE FOR REVIEW AND DOCUMENTED RESPONSE.
THE DASHBOARD BRINGS THESE EFFORTS TOGETHER SO MANAGERS CAN IDENTIFY DELAYS AND DIRECT SUPPORT WHERE IT'S NEEDED.
THE SECOND FOCUS AREA IS REGULATORY MODERNIZATION.
WE WANT REQUIREMENTS THAT STAFF CAN ADMINISTER CONSISTENTLY AND APPLICANTS CAN UNDERSTAND.
THIS IS A SUBSTANTIAL WORK PROGRAM.
SO WE WILL DEFINE THE SCOPE AND SEQUENCE OF EACH INITIATIVE.
PRIORITY ORDINANCE AMENDMENTS, HEARING PROCEDURES, SUBDIVISION REGULATIONS, ZONING UPDATE, AND A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN WORK WILL NEED DIFFERENT LEVELS OF STAFF EFFORT AND COORDINATION.
THE SLIDE IDENTIFIES TOPICS FOR EVALUATION AND DEVELOPMENT.
IT DOES NOT MEAN EVERY PROPOSAL WAS READY FOR INTRODUCTION OR ADOPTION.
EACH INITIATIVE NEEDS REVIEW, APPLICABLE PROCEDURES, AND RESOURCE NEEDS BEFORE MOVING FORWARD.
BOARD DIRECTION WILL GUIDE THE POLICY CHOICES.
THE GOAL IS A MANAGEABLE PROGRAM THAT
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PRODUCES CLEAR REGULATIONS AND MORE CONSISTENT DECISIONS.THE THIRD FOCUS AREA IS CONSISTENT AND EFFECTIVE COMPLIANCE WORK.
STAFF NEED CLEAR PROCEDURES, APPROPRIATE SUPPORT, AND RELIABLE DOCUMENTATION WHEN ADDRESSING CODE VIOLATIONS.
WE WILL ALSO EVALUATE HEARING STRUCTURES AND COMPLAINT STANDARDS THROUGH THE APPROPRIATE REVIEW AND APPROVAL PROCESS.
PROPOSED CHANGES TO COMPLAINT REQUIREMENTS NEED CAREFUL CONSIDERATION BEFORE IMPLEMENTATION.
COMPLEX DISPUTES SHOULD HAVE CLEAR ESCALATION ROUTE THROUGH ISSUE RESOLUTION WITH A RECORD OF THE DECISION AND FOLLOW-UP.
OUR INTENDED OUTCOME IS A MORE RELIABLE ENFORCEMENT PROCESS THAT SUPPORTS PUBLIC SAFETY AND GIVES EVERYONE A CLEARER UNDERSTANDING OF WHAT TO EXPECT.
THE FOURTH FOCUS AREA RECOGNIZES THAT SERVICE IMPROVEMENTS DEPEND ON OUR STAFF'S ABILITY TO CARRY THEM OUT.
TRAINING PLANS SHOULD REFLECT THE ACTUAL RESPONSIBILITIES OF EACH POSITION.
REUSABLE TRAINING MODULES AND REFERENCE MATERIALS HELP NEW EMPLOYEES LEARN AND HELP EXPERIENCED EMPLOYEES APPLY THOSE PROCEDURES CONSISTENTLY.
CROSS-TRAINING WILL HELP US MAINTAIN COVERAGE WHILE SOMEONE IS ABSENT AND PREPARE FOR FUTURE STAFFING CHANGES.
GRANT TRAINING AND AN OPPORTUNITY CALENDAR WILL HELP US EVALUATE FUNDING OPPORTUNITIES AS THEY ARISE.
AS WE CONSIDER ORGANIZATIONAL CHANGES AND REBRANDING, STAFF NEED CLEAR EXPLANATIONS OF THEIR ROLES AND THE TRANSITION.
THE FIFTH FOCUS AREA IS A CONSISTENT REPORTING APPROACH THAT SERVES MANAGERS, COUNTY LEADERSHIP, AND THE PUBLIC.
UNIT REPORTS SHOULD FEED DEPARTMENT REPORTING SO WE CAN USE THE SAME UNDERLYING INFORMATION ACROSS DEPARTMENT UPDATES, SUCH AS AN ANNUAL DIRECTOR REPORT AND PERFORMANCE DASHBOARDS.
THE ROLLING HEARING FORECAST GIVES US STAFF AND LEADERSHIP TIME TO PREPARE FOR UPCOMING CASES AND POLICY ITEMS. REHEARSALS HELP US CLARIFY SIGNIFICANT PRESENTATIONS AND IDENTIFY QUESTIONS BEFORE THE HEARING.
FOR PERMIT METRICS, WE NEED CLEAR DEFINITIONS AND RELIABLE DATA.
WE SHOULD DISTINGUISH COUNTY REVIEW TIME FROM TIME AWAITING APPLICANT INFORMATION AND EXAMINE INTAKE, INITIAL REVIEW, AND RESUBMITTALS SEPARATELY WERE THE DATA ALLOWS.
MEASURES SHOULD HELP US UNDERSTAND WORKLOAD, QUALITY, AND CUSTOMER SERVICE.
MANAGERS CAN EXPLAIN DELAYS AND IDENTIFY ACTIONS NEEDED TO IMPROVE PERFORMANCE.
THIS IS THE PROCESS THAT CONNECTS THE PLAN TO THE DAY-TO-DAY MANAGEMENT.
THE STRATEGIC PLAN IDENTIFIES WHAT WE WANT TO ACCOMPLISH.
A DIRECTOR PROPOSAL EXPLAINS THE PROBLEM, RECOMMENDED APPROACH, EXPECTED BENEFIT, RESOURCE NEEDS, AND ANY DECISIONS REQUIRED TO PROCEED.
THE DIRECTOR DECISION ESTABLISHES THE NEXT STEP WITHIN THE DEPARTMENT'S AUTHORITY.
MATTERS REQUIRING BOARD OR OTHER APPROVAL MUST CONTINUE THROUGH THOSE APPROVAL PROCESSES.
THE DETAILED WORK PLAN THEN ASSIGNS DELIVERABLES, OWNERS, AND DATES.
DURING IMPLEMENTATION, MANAGERS REPORT PROGRESS, IDENTIFY OBSTACLES, AND TRACK OUTCOMES.
EACH INITIATIVE SHOULD HAVE A CLEAR DECISION RECORD AND A WORK PLAN THAT STAFF CAN USE.
THIS SLIDE SHOWS HOW THE STRATEGIC PRIORITIES BECOME A MANAGEMENT WORK PLAN WITH RESPONSIBLE LEADS, TARGET DATES, AND SUCCESS MEASURES.
FOR EXAMPLE, PERMIT STREAMLINING HAS A GOAL OF REDUCING PROCESSING TIME BY 20%.
WE NEED AN AGREED BASELINE AND A CONSISTENT MEASUREMENT METHOD TO ASSESS THAT GOAL.
THESE ARE THE OUTCOMES WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO DEMONSTRATE AS WE CARRY OUT THE PLAN.
COUNTY STAFF WORK EXTREMELY HARD.
WE NEED TO RECOGNIZE STAFF DEFICIENCIES AND CHALLENGES WHILE STAYING FOCUSED, THAT OUR CUSTOMERS SHOULD SEE MORE PREDICTABLE PERMITTING, CLEARER INFORMATION, AND A RELIABLE WAY TO RESOLVE ISSUES.
STAFF SHOULD HAVE STRONGER TRAINING, CLEAR RESPONSIBILITIES, AND CONSISTENT PROCEDURES.
OUR NEXT STEP IS TO CONFIRM PRIORITIES WITH MANAGEMENT AND THE BOARD, DEVELOP PROPOSALS FOR THE INITIATIVES I SHARED THAT WE ARE READY TO ADVANCE, AND ESTABLISH DETAILED WORK PLANS AND REALISTIC MILESTONES.
AS THE DIRECTOR, THE PERMIT DELAYS AND BOTTLENECKS
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WE CURRENTLY FACE NOW BELONG TO ME, AND I TAKE FULL ACCOUNTABILITY FOR IMPROVING IT.IN ADDITION TO THIS STRATEGIC PLAN, I AM TAKING IMMEDIATE ACTIONS TO MITIGATE ISSUES ASSOCIATED WITH OUR PERMITTING SOFTWARE, OPENGOV, UTILIZING ITS DATA MANAGEMENT AND REPORTING FUNCTIONALITIES TO THE FULLEST EXTENT, TRIAGING OUR CURRENT PERMIT QUEUES, DEPLOYING THIRD-PARTY REVIEWERS TO ASSIST WITH OUR CURRENT BACKLOG, AND ROLLING OUT A DEVELOPMENT SERVICES ADVISORY COALITION TO CONNECT COUNTY LEADERSHIP WITH INDUSTRY GROUPS LIKE THE YAVAPAI COUNTY CONTRACTORS ASSOCIATION-- SHOUT OUT TO SANDY-- AS WELL AS ESTABLISHING PERMIT ASSISTANCE WORKSHOPS.
ALTHOUGH MOST OF THIS PRESENTATION WAS VERY HIGH-LEVEL, SOME MAY SAY FLUFF, YOU WILL BEGIN TO START SEEING THE WORK PRODUCTS OF THIS PLAN.
I WELCOME YOUR DIRECTION ON PRIORITIES AND THE OUTCOMES YOU MOST WANT TO SEE.
THANK YOU, AND I'M HAPPY TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS.
WELL, I'LL JUST GO AROUND THE TABLE.
ANY QUESTIONS ABOUT THE PRESENTATION, COMMENTS, WHERE YOU WANT TO GO, WHAT YOU WANT-- I DIDN'T NEED TO ASK.
SANDY GRIFFIS: THANK YOU, CHAIR, TO THE DIRECTOR ARMSTRONG.
STRATEGIC PLANS NORMALLY ARE IMPLEMENTED WITH A THREE TO FIVE-YEAR PERIOD.
WHAT IS YOUR TIMELINE THAT YOU SEE FOR THIS FANTASTIC STRATEGIC PLAN THAT YOU'VE PRESENTED? JACOB ARMSTRONG: IT'S A VERY GOOD QUESTION, CHAIR SANDY.
[LAUGHS] SO I DIDN'T PUT ANY DATES IN THE STRATEGIC PLAN, AND IT WAS A BIT INTENTIONAL AS MORE OF JUST AN INTRODUCTION OF WHAT A STRATEGIC PLAN LOOKS LIKE.
BUT THE NEXT AREA OF FOCUS IS ABSOLUTELY GOING TO TAKE THIS PLAN AND START DEVELOPING THAT SCHEDULE AND THOSE WORK PLANS STRATEGICALLY UNDER THIS FRAMEWORK.
SO THAT'S WHERE YOU'RE GOING TO START SEEING SOME OF THE SCHEDULES AND DELIVERABLES, AND THAT REALLY IS THE NEXT STEP.
SO I CAN'T-- THIS WAS MORE HYPOTHETICAL ON SOME OF THOSE THINGS THAT I WENT OVER IN THE PRESENTATION AT A HIGH LEVEL.
BUT WE WILL-- THE NEXT STEP WILL BE IDENTIFYING SCHEDULES, PRIORITIES, OBVIOUSLY WORKING WITH THE BOARD, GETTING FEEDBACK, AND THEN YOU WILL START SEEING THAT MORE OF THAT SCHEDULE FOCUS ON THE DELIVERABLES.
SANDY GRIFFIS: THANK YOU, DIRECTOR.
AND I'M GOING TO SPEAK ON BEHALF OF THE COMMISSION BECAUSE I KNOW THAT WE'VE BEEN INVOLVED, AND WE'RE IN YOUR STRATEGIC PLAN, THE PLANNING AND ZONING.
WE'RE HERE TO SUPPORT YOU WITH THAT.
AND AGAIN, I'M SURE WE'RE ALL VERY APPRECIATIVE OF THIS HARD WORK THAT YOU'VE PUT TOGETHER.
CHAIR, BEFORE WE MOVE ON TO SOMEONE ELSE, I WOULD LIKE TO MENTION THAT THE P&Z LEGAL COUNSEL, JON PALADINI, IS WITH US THIS MORNING.
AND THANK YOU, SIR, FOR BEING ON OUR COMMISSION.
SO THANK YOU FOR BEING A PART OF US.
BROOKS COMPTON: SUPERVISOR MALLORY? MARY MALLORY: THANK YOU, CHAIR.
I JUST WANTED TO SAY, JACOB, THAT WE ARE HERE TO SUPPORT YOU, AND WE REALIZE THAT YOU'VE WALKED INTO A LOT.
AND I APPRECIATE EVERYTHING YOU'VE TAKEN ON SINCE YOU'VE BEEN HERE.
AND I DO WANT TO PUT OUT THERE THAT I RECENTLY TALKED WITH TO PRESCOTT AREA ASSOCIATION OF REALTORS.
I UNDERSTAND YOU WENT AND YOU SPOKE WITH THEM.
MARY MALLORY: I WANT YOU TO KNOW THEY ARE SO IMPRESSED WITH YOU, AND THEY SO APPRECIATED YOU COMING AND SPEAKING TO THEM.
AND BEING OUT IN THE COMMUNITY IS SO IMPORTANT, SO I APPRECIATE YOU DOING THAT.
MARY MALLORY: AND I JUST WANTED TO AND LET EVERYBODY ELSE KNOW THAT YOU REALLY ARE MOVING FORWARD TO TOUCH IN THE COMMUNITIES.
JACOB ARMSTRONG: AND THANK YOU, SUPERVISOR.
AND JUST TO LET YOU KNOW, I'M JUST GETTING STARTED WITH THAT.
I'M MEETING WITH YPLAN AND ACOG IN THE NEXT COUPLE OF WEEKS, TOO.
BROOKS COMPTON: VICE CHAIR? NIKKI CHECK: WELL, I'M REALLY HAPPY TO HAVE YOU WITH US.
AND I THINK, FIRST OF ALL, I'M GLAD THAT WE HAVEN'T SCARED YOU OFF YET.
[LAUGHTER] JACOB ARMSTRONG: THERE'S DAYS.
NIKKI CHECK: I WANT TO RECOGNIZE WHAT A CHALLENGING SITUATION THAT YOU'VE WALKED INTO.
AND I'M VERY HEARTENED BY YOUR ENERGY AND YOUR ATTITUDE, AND I REALLY BELIEVE THAT THE STRATEGIC CONCEPTS THAT YOU'VE LAID OUT ARE GOING TO GET US SOMEWHERE VERY SOON AND LEAD US INTO THE FUTURE.
AND I ALSO REALLY WANT TO COMMEND THE COMMISSION.
I THINK WE HAVE A LOT OF THOUGHTFUL, ENERGETIC INDIVIDUALS ON THE COMMISSION WHO REALLY CARE ABOUT THE FUTURE OF YAVAPAI COUNTY, AND I'M EXCITED FOR THE YEAR AHEAD, NO DOUBT.
I THINK THIS IS THE TIME IN OUR AGENDA
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WHERE WE TALK ABOUT WHAT WE MIGHT WANT TO TALK ABOUT IN THE FUTURE, SO I DO HAVE A COUPLE OF POINTS THAT I'D LIKE TO SEE US GET INTO AS TIME GOES ON.AND I ALSO REALLY LIKE THE AGENDA THAT WE HAVE TODAY BECAUSE THERE'S SOME SPECIFICS IN HERE THAT I'M EXCITED ABOUT.
BUT ONE IS DELVING INTO THE POSSIBILITY OF REQUIRING AN ADEQUATE WATER SUPPLY FOR PADS IN YAVAPAI COUNTY.
I THINK THAT'S A CONCEPT THAT I'D LIKE TO SEE EXPLORED TO MAKE SURE THAT YAVAPAI COUNTY'S DOING EVERYTHING WE CAN TO BE RESPONSIBLE WITH OUR WATER RESOURCES.
YOU MAY KNOW THAT THE LEAGUE OF CITIES AND TOWNS IDENTIFIED SHORT-TERM RENTALS AS A POLICY PRIORITY IN AUGUST.
AND A COUPLE OF WEEKS AGO, COUNTY SUPERVISORS ASSOCIATION ALMOST UNANIMOUSLY APPROVED THAT ALSO AS A POLICY RESOLUTION.
I THINK GREENLEE COUNTY WAS THE ONLY EXCEPTION.
THE REST OF THE COUNTIES AND YAVAPAI COUNTY VOTED TO SAY THAT THAT WAS AN IMPORTANT POLICY PRIORITY.
SO I THINK THAT IS DESERVING OF A LITTLE BIT OF ATTENTION OF WHAT WE CAN DO AT THE COUNTY LEVEL, A WE'RE MAKING ASKS AT THE STATE LEVEL, JUST TO MAKE SURE WE'RE DOING OUR PART.
AND THEN THE THIRD IS-- I'VE BEEN IN SOME CONVERSATIONS WITH COCONINO COUNTY AND SOME OTHER FOLKS.
ACTUALLY, I ATTENDED AN ADOBE BUILDING WORKSHOP IN COCONINO COUNTY PUT ON BY THEIR SUSTAINABLE BUILDING COALITION, OR MAYBE GETTING THAT NAME WRONG.
BUT COCONINO COUNTY'S ADOPTED THE NEW MEXICO EARTH BUILDING CODE, AND THAT'S SOMETHING I'M INTERESTED IN SEEING IN YAVAPAI COUNTY BECAUSE IT-- AS WE, BASICALLY, FACE ENERGY CONSTRAINTS IN ARIZONA, EARTH BUILDING IS ONE OF THE VERY BEST WAYS TO REDUCE DOMESTIC ENERGY USE BECAUSE OF THE PASSIVE HEATING AND COOLING THAT IT CAN PROVIDE.
SO ANYWAYS, THOSE ARE THE TOPICS THAT ARE FRESH ON MY MIND.
BROOKS COMPTON: SUPERVISOR JENKINS? DEE JENKINS: GOOD MORNING, JACOB.
JACOB ARMSTRONG: GOOD MORNING, SUPERVISOR.
DEE JENKINS: AND YOU KNOW I JUST ADORE THAT YOU'RE HERE, EVEN THOUGH I'M VERY VOCAL ABOUT PLANNING AND ZONING AND USE PERMITS AND EVERYTHING ELSE.
I DO IT OUT OF PASSION FOR MY JOB, OK? NO, I READ THIS BEFORE WE CAME, AND YOU DID A GREAT OVERVIEW.
AND, I MEAN, YOU TOUCHED ON ALL THE PIECES THAT I HOPE YOU WOULD INCORPORATE IN THE STRATEGIC PLAN.
AND I REALLY LOOK FORWARD TO SOME TIMELINES BECAUSE I HAVE SOME PET PEEVES ON A FEW THINGS.
HOW WILL YOU BALANCE CRITICAL ISSUES THAT YOU'RE FACING RIGHT NOW WITH THE STRATEGIC PLAN GOING FORWARD? BECAUSE I KNOW THERE'S SOME ISSUES THAT YOU WANT TO ADDRESS RIGHT NOW THAT YOU'RE GETTING COMPLAINTS ON AND FIXES THAT YOU INHERITED.
HOW DO YOU BALANCE THAT WITH THE STRATEGIC PLAN? AND HOW DO YOU ENVISION COORDINATING THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN WITH A COMPREHENSIVE REWRITE OF PLANNING AND ZONING? HOW DO YOU SEE ALL OF THIS COMING TOGETHER OVER THE TIMELINE? JACOB ARMSTRONG: THAT'S A VERY GOOD QUESTION.
AND THAT, TO ME, IS THE MOST FUNDAMENTAL QUESTION AT THIS POINT IN TIME, TO BE COMPLETELY HONEST WITH EVERYBODY.
I HAD NO IDEA I WAS COMING IN, MY FIRST WEEK, WITH A NEW OPENGOV PERMITTING SOFTWARE.
BUT THE TEAM'S BEEN TREMENDOUS, WORKING VERY HARD.
THAT BECAME, BY DEFAULT, A PRIORITY FOR ME THAT I HAD TO ADDRESS.
SO MY BIGGEST STRATEGY IN TERMS OF BALANCING THESE THINGS IS I HAVE TO GET THE OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT FIXED.
I LOVE DELIVERING LONG-TERM GOALS.
I WOULD LOVE TO START WORKING ON ZONING UPDATES AND COMPREHENSIVE PLANS AND DELIVERABLES, AND THAT'S ABSOLUTELY MY INTENT AS DIRECTOR, TO DELIVER THOSE THINGS.
THOSE ARE YOUR PRIORITIES FOR THE BOARD.
AND SO RIGHT NOW I'VE HAD TO PIVOT, LIKE ANYONE IN LEADERSHIP HAS TO DO, AND FOCUS ON THE THINGS I MENTIONED AT THE END OF THE PRESENTATION ABOUT TRIAGE AND THIRD-PARTY CONSULTANTS.
I'VE INTERVIEWED SEVERAL FIRMS THE LAST FEW WEEKS.
EVEN SANDY'S HELPED A LITTLE BIT.
I'M TAKING EVERYTHING I CAN AT THIS POINT TO GET OPERATIONS RUNNING.
AND ONE OF THE REALLY, REALLY CRITICAL FACTORS-- AND I'VE BEEN THERE, DONE THAT; I KNOW WHAT SUCCESS LOOKS LIKE-- IS I NEED DATA.
I NEED THE DATA TO TELL ME WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE OPERATIONS SIDE.
I NEED TO KNOW WHERE THE PERMITS ARE, WHERE THE BACKLOGS ARE, WHAT THE DURATION, TIME REVIEWS ARE, AND ALL OF THAT BEING DONE UNDER ESTABLISHED GOALS AND PERFORMANCE MEASURES.
OPENGOV IS SUPPOSED TO DO THAT FOR US.
WE'RE NOT THERE YET, BUT WE'RE GOING TO GET THERE.
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AND I'M TALKING-- I'M LITERALLY HAVING A GET TOGETHER WITH THE OPENGOV VENDOR AFTER THIS MEETING.I'VE JUST GONE FULL BLOWN, I GOT TO GET THIS ADDRESSED.
BUT AT THE SAME TIME, I'M NOT LOSING SIGHT OF THE STRATEGIC PLAN AND THE WORK PLANS.
THAT'S GOING TO KEEP HAPPENING, WHETHER THAT'S WORKING SEVEN DAYS, 24 HOURS.
BUT THAT REALLY IS THE KEY RIGHT NOW, IS I HAVE TO GET THE OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT IN PLACE AND THEN CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THESE GOALS.
AND THE STRATEGIC PLAN WAS REALLY IMPORTANT FOR ME TO STAY FOCUSED.
BROOKS COMPTON: SUPERVISOR KUKNYO? CHRIS KUKNYO: YEAH, MR. ARMSTRONG, I'M JUST GLAD YOU DIDN'T RUN AWAY WHEN YOU GOT HERE AND SAW WHAT YOU WERE CONFRONTED WITH BECAUSE I WAS TRULY SCARED ABOUT THAT.
AS WE EMBRACE TECH, WHICH I THINK IS THE FUTURE AND THE WAY WE'RE GOING, I THINK WE GOT TO KEEP IN MIND THAT OUR AVERAGE AGE IS 60 YEARS OLD, AND THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT WANT TO STAY OLD-SCHOOL.
THEY DO NOT WANT TO EMBRACE A NEW.
THEY WANT TO WALK UP TO THE COUNTER.
THEY WANT TO WALK AWAY WITH THEIR PERMIT.
AND I'VE GOTTEN SOME CALLS WHERE, THAT SHOULD STILL BE ABLE TO HAPPEN.
THEY OUGHT TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT.
ONE-WEEK PERMIT TURNAROUND? THAT'S NOT GOING ON NOW, RIGHT? JACOB ARMSTRONG: NO.
CHRIS KUKNYO: OK, BECAUSE-- [LAUGHTER] --COMMISSIONER EASTWOOD HAS TOLD ME SOME STORIES-- I'M SURE HE'LL SHARE-- WHERE IT SEEMS LIKE IT REALLY IS CRAZY.
ON THE ZONING ORDINANCE UPDATE, WE TRIED TO DO THAT.
THEY WEREN'T GOING THE DIRECTION WE WANTED.
WE REALLY HAVEN'T MOVED ON THAT AT ALL.
AND I THINK GROWTH IS ONE OF THE REASONS WHY PEOPLE HAVE GOT US ELECTED AND SENT US HERE TO TAKE CARE OF.
THEY'RE FEELING THE PINCH, THE DAILY FRUSTRATIONS.
WHAT DOES THE ZONING ORDINANCE UPDATE LOOK LIKE TO YOU? JACOB ARMSTRONG: I'M NOT SURE IF ALL OF, BUT I'M ACTUALLY A PLANNER BACKGROUND.
SO WHEN YOU SAY, WHAT DOES IT MEAN TO ME, IT'S WHAT I'VE BEEN DOING MY WHOLE CAREER.
I'VE HAD GENERAL PLAN UPDATES, WHICH IS THE EQUIVALENT OF A COMPREHENSIVE PLAN IN CALIFORNIA, THE COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO.
IT TOOK US FIVE YEARS, I THINK, TO GO THROUGH A GENERAL PLAN UPDATE, AND I WAS RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF THAT.
IT'S ALL OF THE THINGS BY WHICH THE ORDINANCES SHOULD BE IN LINE WITH.
AND I KNOW IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME FOR THIS COUNTY.
AND TO SAY THAT THINGS HAVEN'T CHANGED IN YAVAPAI COUNTY IN THE LAST 30, 40 YEARS WOULD BE AN UNDERSTATEMENT.
I GATHERED ALL THE INFORMATION THAT WAS DONE PREVIOUSLY WITH THE UPDATE.
I HAVE ASKED MY TEAM TO SHARE WITH ME ALL THE FILES.
I HAVE EVERYTHING THAT IS AVAILABLE TO ME THAT I'VE BEEN DIVING INTO TO UNDERSTAND WHAT THAT SCOPE OF EFFORT ENTAILED AND WHAT WERE SOME OF THE REASONS WHERE IT MAY HAVE GONE OFF TRACK.
SO WHAT I'D LIKE TO DO-- AND I'VE TALKED TO MANAGEMENT A BIT ABOUT THIS-- IS THAT IS MY NUMBER ONE THING TO REINTRODUCE, TO GET THAT BACK ON SOME KIND OF SCHEDULE.
SO I WANTED TO START, VERY HUMBLY, WITH A LESSONS LEARNED FROM THAT EXPERIENCE.
OBVIOUSLY, MONEY WAS SPENT, THAT THE BOARD ALLOCATED FOR A CONTRACT.
I HAVE TO CONSIDER THE SENSITIVITY WITH THAT.
AND SO I WANT TO GET THE BOARD ON BOARD WITH UNDERSTANDING WHERE THINGS MAY HAVE WENT WRONG AND LESSONS LEARNED.
AND THEN I WANT TO TALK WITH MY TEAM AND THINK ABOUT THE THINGS THAT WE CAN DO IN-HOUSE, THAT WE CAN DELIVER, LIKE THE SUBDIVISION ORDINANCE REGULATIONS, WHERE A LOT OF THAT WORK WAS DONE.
IT'D BE NICE TO GET A DELIVERABLE AND A WIN WITH THAT EFFORT RIGHT OUT OF THE GATE.
AND THEN IT'LL BE A REVISIT THE BIGGER PICTURE WITH MORE OF THE ZONING CHANGES.
AND I'VE EVEN HAD CONVERSATIONS WITH MY TEAM ABOUT REVISITING THE COMPREHENSIVE PLAN ASSOCIATED WITH THAT AND REALLY DO IT RIGHT, GET IT DONE, AND THAT'D BE KIND OF A PHASED APPROACH.
SO AT LEAST WE GOT SOME MOMENTUM.
WE'RE UNDERSTANDING THE LESSONS LEARNED.
WE'RE DELIVERING ON SOME THINGS.
BUT THEN WE'RE NOT LOSING SIGHT OF THE BIG PICTURE.
AND I'LL HAVE SCHEDULES AND PHASES FOR THAT ENTIRE EFFORT, ALONG THOSE LINES, WERE MY THOUGHTS.
CHRIS KUKNYO: AND I AGREE WITH SUPERVISOR CHECK.
IT'S GOOD TO SEE THAT TODAY WE'RE GOING TO KNOCK OUT A COUPLE THINGS, HOPEFULLY, AND START MAKING PROGRESS.
AND I JUST WOULD LIKE TO SEE MORE CONVERSATIONS WITH ALL THE COMMISSIONERS AND ALL OF US.
WE GOT OUR EARS ON THE COMMUNITY, AND THEY'RE TELLING US WHAT THEY WANT TO SEE.
AND I GOT A LIST I'LL READ IN JUST A SECOND HERE.
BUT THE OTHER THING I THINK WE NEED TO REALLY WORK ON IS STREAMLINING BUSINESSES' ABILITY TO OPERATE AND OPEN.
IT SEEMS LIKE THE LENGTH OF TIME-- AND IS THAT SOMETHING THAT WE CAN HELP YOU WITH WITH POLICY, WHERE MAYBE THE NOTIFICATION TIMES CAN SHORTEN UP A LITTLE BIT? HOW CAN WE GET THEM THROUGH? BECAUSE WE'VE SEEN INSTANCES WHERE PEOPLE STRUGGLE AND THEY DON'T KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON.
WE WERE GETTING SOMETHING GOING WITH COULD HELP BUSINESS PEOPLE IN CONJUNCTION WITH YOUR DEPARTMENT, WHERE THEY CAN GET A CARD.
[00:30:02]
AND THESE GUYS WITH LIFE EXPERIENCE KNOW HOW TO MANAGE GOVERNMENT, WHICH A LOT OF SMALL BUSINESS PEOPLE DON'T.THEY HAVE $50,000 AND A DREAM.
AND JUST THE STUFF REALLY QUICK.
I THINK WE'RE HANDLING NO ANONYMOUS COMPLAINTS AND SHIPPING CONTAINERS.
HOPEFULLY HAVE AN ANSWER TODAY.
SOMETHING ABOUT-- WE GOT TO GET ON TOP OF THIS.
I WAS IN CALIFORNIA FOR THE LAST FOUR DAYS, AND I ONLY WENT THERE BECAUSE IT WAS A FUNERAL.
BUT ON MY WAY TO THE AIRPORT YESTERDAY, JUST SOMETHING CAME OUT OF MY MOUTH TO MY WIFE, AND I SAID, YOU KNOW WHAT? I BET THIS WAS A BEAUTIFUL PLACE BEFORE THEY SCREWED IT UP.
AND I DO NOT WANT TO SEE US-- YEAH.
I DO NOT TO WANT TO SEE US BECOME LIKE THAT.
PART OF THAT IS I THINK WE SHOULD HAVE NO BUILDING ABOVE RIDGELINES.
CAN LACK OF INFRASTRUCTURE TRIGGER US-- TAKE GUIDING GROWTH, ROAD CAPACITY, WATER AVAILABILITY, LAW ENFORCEMENT CAPACITY.
ARE WE KEEPING UP WITH THOSE TO PROVIDE THOSE SERVICES, ESPECIALLY IN THE OUTLYING, WHICH THIS BOARD'S BEEN VERY PASSIONATE ABOUT, BECAUSE I KNOW WILLIAMS-- THEY EVEN PUT IN A MORATORIUM BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T HAVE WASTEWATER CAPACITY.
DO WE HAVE THE WATER CAPACITY? ARE WE REALLY LOOKING AT THAT? AND WHAT IS AN ACCEPTABLE WATER SOURCE? IF MY NEIGHBORHOOD WERE STRUGGLING LIKE CRAZY, DO WE ALLOW MORE BUILDING WHEN I HAVE AIR IN MY LINES BECAUSE THE PUMP KEEPS GOING DRY? WHAT ARE COUNTY ROAD STANDARDS, AND SHOULD WE CONTINUE TO ALLOW NEW ROADS TO BE CONSTRUCTED, PUBLIC OR PRIVATE, WITHOUT A WRITTEN AGREEMENT ON WHO WILL MAINTAIN IT? I DON'T KNOW ABOUT THE OTHER SUPERVISORS, BUT I GET A LOT OF CALLS IN MY AREA.
PAULDEN HAS, NOW, SO MANY PRIVATE ROADS, NO AGREEMENTS.
POQUITO VALLEY-- SAME THING OUT THERE.
AND DEVELOPERS HAVE COME IN OUT THERE, BLADED A ROAD IN, BUILT A HUGE DEVELOPMENT, AND THERE'S STILL-- AND THEY WALK AWAY WHEN THEY'RE DONE.
AND THEN IT FALLS ON THE PEOPLE, AND THERE'S NOTHING THAT WE CAN DO ABOUT IT.
RECHARGE REQUIREMENTS? THAT'S NOWHERE IN OUR PLAN.
WASTEWATER TREATMENT, I THINK, NEEDS TO HAVE RECHARGE ASSOCIATED WITH IT.
WE'VE HAD SOME MAJOR DEVELOPMENTS THAT GO UP, AND THEY USE IT FOR DIFFERENT PURPOSES.
BUT WE'RE TRYING TO GET MORE WATER DOWN INTO THE AQUIFER.
WE ALWAYS TALK ABOUT WHAT WE CAN'T DO.
WE NEED TO START TALKING ABOUT WHAT WE CAN DO WITH WATER.
AND RIGHT NOW WE'VE DONE SOMETHING WHERE WE'RE STOPPING SHEET FLOW TO ENCOURAGE RECHARGING THE AQUIFER.
WELL, SEPTIC TANKS DON'T RECHARGE.
THEY HIT SURFACE, AND THEY'RE GONE.
AND WE GOT A LOT OF STRAWS GOING IN THE GROUND.
CAN WE MAKE PADS MORE DESIRABLE THAN LOT SPLITS? BECAUSE WE SEE THE LOT SPLITS COME, AND THERE'S NO REQUIREMENT WITH THAT WHATSOEVER.
AND CAN LOT SPLITS TRIGGER A PROCESS SIMILAR AND WITH REQUIREMENTS LIKE A PAD SO THAT YOU HAVE TO HAVE THE ROAD INFRASTRUCTURE, YOU HAVE TO HAVE MAYBE THE OPEN-SPACE CAPACITY TO GO ALONG WITH IT? AND HOW DO WE SLOW DOWN LOT SPLITS, AND ARE THEY BEING USED AS A GO-AROUND FOR DEVELOPMENT THAT SHOULD BE A PAD? AND I WON'T MAKE ANY ACCUSATIONS HERE, BUT IT SEEMS LIKE SOME DEVELOPMENTS IN MY DISTRICT HAVE DONE JUST THAT, WHERE YOU'RE SUPPOSED TO SIGN A PAPER AND SAY, NO, WE'RE NOT CONNECTED, BUT I GIVE YOU 40 ACRES, AND THEN YOU SPLIT UP THAT FIVE TIMES, AND YOU SELL IT TO SOMEONE ELSE YOU KNOW, AND THEY SPLIT IT UP FIVE TIMES.
AND THEN PRETTY SOON, WE HAVE THINGS WITH NO INFRASTRUCTURE.
AND REALLY MOVING TOWARDS NO MORE TOTAL RIP-OUT OF ALL VEGETATION.
JUST MAKE SURE YOU KEEP SOMETHING THAT KNOWS HOW TO LIVE ON WHAT FALLS FROM THE SKY BECAUSE IF YOU REALLY LOOK AT ANYBODY'S WATER SYSTEM, IT'S SUMMER THAT WE JUST BURN OUR WATER UP, AND IT'S ALL GOING ON THE GROUND, WATERING PLANTS AND TREES.
AND WE ALREADY HAVE VEGETATION.
AND I KNOW THERE'S SOME COMMUNITIES THAT HAVE THAT 80% RULE, WHERE 80% OF YOUR VEGETATION HAS TO BE EXISTING ALREADY.
AND I WOULD LOVE TO SEE A MAP OF GROWTH ALREADY PERMITTED BECAUSE I KNOW AT WILLIAMSON VALLEY, I GOT SOMETHING LIKE 680 HOMES THAT ALREADY HAVE A PERMIT THAT HAVEN'T BEEN BUILT. CAN WE HAVE A MAP OF THE COUNTY WITH LITTLE DOTS ON EVERYTHING THAT HAS A PERMIT THAT HAS HASN'T BEEN BUILT YET? JACOB ARMSTRONG: ABSOLUTELY.
CHRIS KUKNYO: AND I THINK WE NEED A NOISE ORDINANCE IN THE FACE OF THE CONSTRUCTION HOURS PUT ON US BY THE STATE BECAUSE THEY SAY YOU CAN START CONSTRUCTION POURING CONCRETE AT 4:00 IN THE MORNING.
BUT I THINK WE CAN DO SOMETHING THAT SAYS-- WE CAN PUT A NOISE REQUIREMENT WITH DECIBEL RATINGS SO YOU CAN GO POUR THAT AT 4:00 AM, BUT YOU BETTER BE QUIET BECAUSE WE HAVE A LOT OF DEVELOPMENTS COMING UP IN BIG AREAS.
AND THEN I'M GOING TO GO THE WHOLE, TOTAL OTHER DIRECTION WITH THIS.
CAN WE HAVE SOME CODE RELAXATION FOR THE EXTREMELY RURAL LOCATIONS? AND I CALL IT SCARLET LETTER ZONING, WHERE YOU CAN BUILD WHATEVER YOU WANT ON YOUR LAND.
DO WHAT YOU WANT WITH IT, AS LONG AS IT DOESN'T AFFECT YOUR NEIGHBORS.
AND WE WILL MARK THAT A SCARLET LETTER, SO THE NEXT PERSON KNOWS THAT IT MAY BE SPEAKER WIRE RUNNING THEIR ELECTRIC THROUGH THE WALLS AND JUST PUBLIC SAFETY,
[00:35:02]
IF YOU WANT TO-- ON YOUR ROOF TRUSSES, THAT THEY KNOW THEY'RE 24 INCHES, NOT 4 FOOT SO WHEN THE FIREMAN GOES ON TOP, HE DOESN'T FALL THROUGH THE BUILDING INTO THE FIRE.AND I'D LIKE TO TALK WITH STAFF AND GET THEIR OPINIONS ON WHAT IS REQUIRED THAT REALLY DOES AFFECT HEALTH AND HUMAN SAFETY, WHERE I THINK WE STILL NEED TO REQUIRE SEPTIC TANKS, AND THEY NEED TO BE INSPECTED BECAUSE THERE'S A LOT OF PEOPLE THAT JUST WANT TO RUN IT OUT ON THE GROUND AND PUT IT IN A HOLE, AND I WAS GUILTY OF THAT AS WELL.
PERSONAL PADS? IS THERE SOMETHING LIKE THAT WHERE, WHEN YOU DO GET THAT PERMIT FOR YOUR OWN PRIVATE LAND, THE SECTION YOU'RE DOING-- IS THERE REQUIREMENTS THAT WE CAN HELP TO LESSEN IMPACT? AND I DON'T KNOW WHERE WE ARE WITH IMPACT FEES, SO I KNOW THE STATE TOOK AWAY THE CITIES AND TOWNS AND COUNTIES ABILITY TO REALLY DO THAT A WHILE AGO.
AND I THINK IT WAS SOMETHING LIKE WHERE THE CITY OF PRESCOTT WOULD'VE HAD $80 MILLION IN THE BANK, BUT INSTEAD THEY HAD TO GO OUT FOR A NEW TAX TO BUILD THREE FIRE STATIONS.
THEY WOULD'VE ALREADY HAD THE MONEY IN THE BACK TO MAKE THAT-- BANK TO MAKE THAT HAPPEN.
SO I DON'T KNOW WHAT THAT IS BECAUSE PEOPLE ALWAYS SAY, GROWTH PAYING FOR GROWTH.
AND I LOOK AT WILLIAMSON VALLEY ROAD, AND IT'S THE SAME TWO LANES THAT HAVE BEEN THERE SINCE THE '60S, AND WE'VE HAD A LITTLE BIT OF GROWTH OUT THAT WAY.
AND WE'RE TRYING TO GET THE STATE LAW TO HELP US GET THE AIRBNBS UNDER CONTROL.
BUT I THINK WE NEED TO GET VOCAL WITH OUR LOCAL SUPPORT FOR THAT NEXT TIME IT GOES THROUGH, GET IT STALLED IN THE SENATE LAST TIME, AND REALLY EXPLORE THE POTENTIAL IMPACTS OF THE ADU LAWS, ESPECIALLY WHEN WE GO WITH THE SHIPPING CONTAINERS.
THEY COULD POSSIBLY BE LIVING UNITS NOW.
THEY CAN BE 5 FOOT FROM THE PROPERTY LINE.
I DON'T THINK WE'VE BEGUN TO SEE THE IMPACT AND THE CALLS WE'RE GOING TO GENERATE WHEN THIS STARTS GOING TO AN EFFECT, WHERE A SINGLE FAMILY CAN NOW HAVE, POTENTIALLY, FOUR HOUSING UNITS ON THAT SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENCE.
AND JUST ADDRESSING TINY HOMES.
I DON'T KNOW IF WE ALREADY HAVE DONE THAT, BUT THAT SEEMS TO BE THE THING THAT GETS THE WORKING PEOPLE INTO SOMETHING THEY CAN OWN INSTEAD OF PAYING RENT.
JACOB ARMSTRONG: WELL, THANK YOU, SUPERVISOR.
THAT GIVES ME A LOT OF THOSE DIRECTOR PROPOSALS THAT I MENTIONED IN MY PRESENTATION TO DO.
SO THAT'S HOW I'M GOING TO START THESE THINGS, IS THROUGH THESE PROPOSALS AND THINGS THAT YOU ALL MENTIONED, SO I APPRECIATE THAT.
AND THEN LASTLY, JUST LET YOU KNOW, I LEFT ALL THE BAD THINGS IN CALIFORNIA.
I'VE ONLY BROUGHT THE GOOD THINGS, SO.
[LAUGHTER] I ALWAYS TELL PEOPLE THAT BECAUSE I'M STILL DRIVING AROUND WITH THE CALIFORNIA LICENSE PLATE, SO.
CHRIS KUKNYO: I KNOW, BUT THOSE PEOPLE ARE CRAZY.
AND I HOPE YOU'RE GOING TO ARIZONA SCHOOL OF DRIVING.
NOW THAT I GO BACK, I EVEN RECOGNIZE HOW FAST AND CRAZY THEY DRIVE.
I FEEL LIKE I'VE ONLY BEEN HERE THREE MONTHS, BUT I'M STARTING TO SLOW DOWN QUITE A BIT.
BROOKS COMPTON: YEAH, IT TAKES ABOUT SIX MONTHS.
YEAH, THAT'S ABOUT WHAT IT TAKES.
AND IN REFERENCE TO YOUR QUESTION ABOUT THE MAP, I ASKED FOR THAT A YEAR AND A HALF AGO.
TYLER GOODMAN HAS IT, WHERE EVERYTHING'S ALREADY APPROVED, SO WE KNEW-- I WANTED TO KNOW HOW MANY HOUSES-- HOW MANY DEVELOPMENTS WERE OUT THERE IN THE COMMUNITY.
LIKE, THE CITY HAS MASSIVE AMOUNTS OF PROOF DEVELOPMENT.
I DON'T KNOW IF YOU COULD PUT IT ON A MAP FOR ME.
SO IT CERTAINLY-- JACOB ARMSTRONG: YEAH, I CAN ABSOLUTELY GET THAT.
I MEAN, THAT'S CLASSIC GIS STUFF THAT WE SHOULD BE ABLE TO PROVIDE.
BROOKS COMPTON: AND IN REFERENCE TO WHAT I SPOKE EARLIER ABOUT DISTRICT 1, IT WASN'T SPECIAL MEETINGS, MARY.
I JUST WANTED HIM TO SEE WHAT IT WAS LIKE IN RURAL ARIZONA, WHERE WE KEEP TRYING TO PUT SQUARE PEGS IN ROUND HOLES AND WHAT THE WORST OF THE WORST WAS.
AND MY GOAL WAS TO BRING PEOPLE INTO COMPLIANCE, NOT TO PUT THEM OUT OF BUSINESS, OR TO DO THE BEST WE CAN TO BRING THEM FORWARD INTO THE FUTURE.
SO HE HAS BEEN GREAT OUT IN THE FIELD.
THE ONE-WEEK THING WAS A JOKE AT A TOWN HALL MEETING.
CHRIS KUKNYO: WELL, YOU DIDN'T KNOW HOW CORRECT YOU WERE, THOUGH, WHEN YOU WERE SAYING IT.
IT WAS IN THE STRATEGIC PLAN BEFORE YOU SAID IT.
SANDY GRIFFIS: CHAIR COMPTON? BROOKS COMPTON: YES, MA'AM.
SANDY GRIFFIS: I'D LIKE TO ADDRESS SUPERVISOR FOR A MOMENT.
YOU MADE A LOT OF STATEMENTS, AND YOU ASKED A LOT OF QUESTIONS, SIR.
I FEEL IT WOULD BE ADVANTAGEOUS IF MAYBE YOU PUT TOGETHER SOME SORT OF WHITE PAPER WITH SOME OF YOUR SOLUTIONS TO SOME OF YOUR QUESTIONS AND STATEMENTS, VERSUS JUST DROPPING IT ON ALL OF OUR BACKS.
YOU HAVE SOME VERY VALID COMMENTS, BUT I FEEL THAT AS A SUPERVISOR, YOU SHOULD COME FORWARD WITH WHAT YOU WOULD RECOMMEND AS A SOLUTION FOR ALL OF US TO TAKE A LOOK AT IT FOR YOU.
AND THE ADU LAW IS ALREADY IN EFFECT, AND FOLKS ARE BUILDING ADUS IN THE COUNTY QUITE FREQUENTLY NOW.
I DID A VERY BIG MARKETING CAMPAIGN TO BUILD MORE ADUS IN THE COUNTY, AND I THINK IT'S SUCCESSFULLY WORKING, WHICH WOULD GIVE US ANOTHER AFFORDABILITY PLACE FOR HOMES.
SO I'LL KEEP YOU POSTED ON THAT.
THAT'S ALL I WANTED TO SAY, SIR.
[00:40:01]
CHRIS KUKNYO: YEAH, COMMISSIONER GRIFFIS, I DO NOT HAVE THE ANSWERS TO THESE PROBLEMS. I GET THE PHONE CALLS THAT ADDRESS THESE PROBLEMS, AND I DON'T HAVE THE BACKGROUND OR EXPERIENCE TO DO THAT.SO I REALLY COUNT ON STAFF TO TAKE CARE OF THAT AND COME UP WITH SOLUTIONS AND YOU GUYS, BECAUSE YOU-- I MEAN, YOU'RE IN THE INDUSTRY.
MAYBE YOU HAVE A SOLUTION TO SOME OF THE PROBLEMS THAT ARE GOING ON.
I HEAR IT LIKE YOU DO AS WELL.
BUT AGAIN, I CONSIDER YOU AN EXTREMELY INTELLIGENT INDIVIDUAL, AND I WOULD LIKE TO SEE SOME OF YOUR RECOMMENDATIONS FOR SOME OF THE THINGS YOU BROUGHT FORWARD, FOR EXAMPLE, LIKE THE ROADS IN POQUITO VALLEY.
IF A DEVELOPER BUILDS SOMETHING AND THEN HE LEAVES, WHAT WOULD BE YOUR RECOMMENDATION TO SUPPORT THOSE ROADS? CHRIS KUKNYO: MY RECOMMENDATION WOULD BE ANY TIME SOMEBODY PUTS IN A ROAD, THERE'S A WRITTEN AGREEMENT BEFORE THAT ROAD IS CONSTRUCTED THAT THEY MAINTAIN THAT ROAD IN PERPETUITY UNTIL SOMEONE ELSE TAKES IT OVER.
BROOKS COMPTON: SUPERVISOR MALLORY? SANDY GRIFFIS: THANK YOU, CHRIS.
CHRIS KUKNYO: I'LL TALK MARY MALLORY: THANK YOU, CHAIR.
I JUST WANTED TO SAY THIS AND LET EVERYBODY KNOW.
SO OF COURSE, WE'RE DEALING WITH ORDINANCES AND THINGS THAT PRETTY MUCH ARE ALMOST, LIKE, 50 YEARS OLD.
I MEAN, WE HAVEN'T REALLY COME TO THE PLACE OF WHERE WE'RE AT TODAY.
AND I WOULD SAY, FROM MY EXPERIENCE BETWEEN THE TOWN COUNCIL OF PRESCOTT VALLEY AND THEN THE COUNTY, WE EXPLODED, ABSOLUTELY EXPLODED ACROSS THIS COUNTY IN THE COVID TIME.
AND SO WE ARE DEALING WITH THINGS THAT WERE LONG BEFORE A LOT OF US GOT HERE.
AND SO JUST MOVING FORWARD, THE BEST THING WE CAN DO IS TRY TO, I FEEL, WORK ON THESE AS A TEAM.
I LOVE YOUR SUGGESTION ABOUT SOME OF THE THINGS THAT WE WOULD LIKE TO SEE HAPPEN, THAT MAYBE WE FIND SOME RESEARCH AND TRY TO GIVE SOME SOLUTION ALSO.
AND I THINK THE BEST THING MOVING FORWARD FOR THE FUTURE WOULD BE THAT WE CONTINUE TO WORK ON THE PAST OF HOW THESE ORDINANCES ARE AND HOW THEY WORK FOR TODAY, OR WHAT DOESN'T WORK FOR TODAY, BUT NOT LET THIS GO UNATTENDED AS WE MOVE FORWARD.
WE HAVE TO MOVE WITH THE FUTURE ACCORDINGLY AS WE ARE DEALING WITH IT TODAY.
AND I WILL COME UP WITH SOME IDEAS AS WELL.
AND IF THEY DON'T WORK, I'LL FIND SOMETHING ELSE.
BROOKS COMPTON: SUPERVISOR JENKINS? DEE JENKINS: THIS KIND OF REMINDS ME OF WHEN THE SUBDIVISION CAME BEFORE US, THAT AS YOU WORK ON UPDATING THESE PLANS-- FOR ME, IT'S TWOFOLD.
IT'S LISTEN TO THE COMPLAINTS THAT YOU'VE RECEIVED OVER TIME.
LISTEN TO WHAT THE SUPERVISORS ARE RUNNING ACROSS.
I DON'T HAVE THE ANSWERS TO EVERYTHING, BUT WHEN I SEE CONSISTENCY COMING FROM CONSTITUENTS, WE NEED TO FIND SOME WAY TO RESPOND TO THAT.
SO IT'S FEEDING YOU THE INFORMATION, SENDING YOU THE COMPLAINTS, FINDING OUT HOW VALID THEY ARE, AND IF WE NEED TO INCORPORATE CHANGES, DO SO THEN AND THEN COME BACK TO ALL OF US TO APPROVE THE FINAL DRAFT.
THAT'S THE PIECE THAT WE WERE MISSING WITH THE SUBDIVISION, IS THAT WE WERE PROVIDING THE FEEDBACK AND IT WASN'T GETTING CHANGED.
SO LIKE YOU SAY, WE'RE GOING TO LEARN FROM THAT AND MOVE FORWARD.
BROOKS COMPTON: ANY COMMENTS FROM PLANNING-- DOES ANYBODY WANT TO SPEAK? COMMISSIONER BUCHANAN? YES, YES.
I GOTTA GET USED TO THE NEW MIC.
I WANT TO SAY WELCOME TO DIRECTOR ARMSTRONG.
AND I HAD THE OPPORTUNITY TO PARTICIPATE IN AN ONLINE PROGRAM THAT HE SHARED WITH VERDE VALLEY REGIONAL ECONOMIC ORGANIZATION.
AND I THINK THAT WAS REALLY WELL RECEIVED, AND IT REACHES A BROAD AND DIFFERENT ELEMENT OF THE COMMUNITY THAN MIGHT BE PRESENT SOMETIMES AT OUR HEARINGS.
IN DISTRICT 2, I DEFINITELY HEAR ABOUT PERMITTING BACKLOGS AND THE FRUSTRATIONS FOR THE SMALL BUSINESS PEOPLE AND OUR BIGGER SUPPLIERS AND VENDORS.
IT'S A CRISIS IF THEY GET HELD UP, WHERE THINGS BECOME ECONOMICALLY UNVIABLE.
I'M THRILLED TO SEE YOUR STRATEGIC PLAN.
AND A COUPLE ELEMENTS OF IT PARTICULARLY INTRIGUED ME.
THESE MIGHT BE SOFTBALL QUESTIONS, AND I THINK THEY FIT WITH YOUR OPERATIONAL SIDE OF THE HOUSE, WHERE YOU SAID YOU WERE GOING TO BE STARTING.
I'M CURIOUS WHAT P&Z AND BOARD FORECASTING IS,
[00:45:01]
WHICH WAS ONE OF THE ELEMENTS, AND ALSO THE PROSPECT OF HEARING REHEARSAL FOR CONTROVERSIAL CASES, IF THAT IS SOMETHING, OPERATIONALLY, THAT'S ALREADY UNDERWAY OR SOMETHING THAT YOU'RE PROPOSING.AND I WOULD LOVE TO KNOW A LITTLE BIT MORE ABOUT THE CRITERION YOU VALUE OR MEASURE FOR WHAT MAKES SOMETHING CONTROVERSIAL.
IS IT SOME BLOWBACK FROM NEIGHBORS, OR IS IT A BROADER SENSE OF, THESE ARE HOT TOPICS IN OUR COMMUNITY? AND IN SUPPORT OF WHAT SUPERVISOR KUKNYO SHARED ABOUT SCORE, WE ALSO HAVE TREMENDOUS RESOURCES THROUGH THE SMALL BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT CENTERS AROUND THE STATE AND HERE IN YAVAPAI COUNTY.
AND LOTS OF US WILL BE CHASING AND WATCHING AND SUPPORTING AND CHALLENGING WHEN WE SEE THE NEED.
JACOB ARMSTRONG: THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
AND I'LL JUST TOUCH ON-- IT WAS THREE QUESTIONS I WROTE DOWN, JUST VERY QUICKLY.
AS I MENTIONED, I TAKE THE GOOD THINGS FROM SAN DIEGO, AND I LEAVE THE BAD THINGS.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WE WERE REALLY GOOD AT WAS-- WE HAD A REHEARSAL HEARING FOR-- WE CALLED IT A FORECAST FOR BOARD AND PLANNING COMMISSION HEARINGS.
AND THEN WE WOULD FORECAST SIX MONTHS OUT IN ADVANCE FOR SOME HEARINGS.
AND IT JUST WAS VERY, VERY PRODUCTIVE FOR US TO NOT GET INTO A POSITION WHERE WE'RE SCRAMBLING AT THE LAST MINUTE BEFORE A HEARING.
AND THE BOARD AND THE COMMISSION DON'T DESERVE THAT.
SO ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I WANTED TO DO IS DEVELOP A FORECAST CALENDAR AND A PROCESS BY WHICH WE ESTABLISH HEARINGS AS EARLY AS WE CAN.
OF COURSE, THAT CALENDAR CAN MOVE, BUT THEN WE HOLD CERTAIN FOLKS ACCOUNTABLE TO THAT SCHEDULE AND MAKING SURE-- INCLUDING THE APPLICANT, BY THE WAY.
AND THAT IS A PROCESS BY WHICH I WANT TO IMPLEMENT, JUST TO GIVE US MORE TIME TO BE MORE STRATEGIC, TO HAVE MORE TIME TO WORK WITH THE APPLICANT.
AND IT WORKED VERY WELL WITH THE COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO, AND THAT WAS SOMETHING I WANTED TO IMPLEMENT HERE.
ONE OF THE THINGS THAT WORKED VERY WELL THERE, TOO, IS WE WOULD HAVE-- SOMETIMES WE'D CALL THEM WALK-AROUNDS, BEFORE THE BOARD MEETINGS OR BEFORE COMMISSION MEETINGS, WHERE IT WOULD GIVE US AN OPPORTUNITY TO JUST BE ABLE TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS FOR THE BOARD OR THE COMMISSION, TO JUST MAKE SURE, GOING INTO THE HEARING, THAT WE'RE NOT USING THE HEARING, TO THEN GO BACK AND FORTH AND PROLONG A HEARING UNNECESSARILY WHEN WE COULD JUST ANSWER THE QUESTION BEFOREHAND.
AND SO WE CALLED THOSE REHEARSALS OR WALK-AROUNDS, AND THAT WAS SOMETHING I WANTED TO LOOK TO IMPLEMENT AS WELL.
AND THEN YOU MENTIONED CONTROVERSIAL.
WELL, WE ALL KNOW THE PERMIT WORLD'S CONTROVERSIAL.
AND SUPERVISOR, YOU MADE A REALLY GOOD POINT ABOUT CONSISTENCY AND THEMES.
IT'S VERY CLEAR TO START FIGURING OUT THE THEMES AND THE ISSUES.
AND I'VE BEEN DOING A LOT OF LISTENING AND HAVE FIGURED OUT A LOT OF THE THEMES.
BUT ONE OF THE THINGS THAT'S DIFFICULT IS WHEN I NEED TO GET INVOLVED.
AND SO I WANT TO TRY TO CREATE A PROCESS WHERE THERE MAY BE AN ISSUE AT THE COUNTER, THAT A CUSTOMER HAS A COMPLAINT OR JUST DID NOT RECEIVE GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE.
THAT, ONE, IS TRAINING NEEDS TO BE RESOLVED AND WE NEED TO ALWAYS BE CUSTOMER FOCUSED.
BUT WHEN IS IT SOMETHING THAT COULD JUST BE ADDRESSED RIGHT THERE ON THE SPOT, VERSUS SOMETHING THAT NEEDS TO BE ELEVATED THROUGH SOME KIND OF FORMAL ISSUE RESOLUTION SOLUTION PROCESS? AND AGAIN, WE HAD THAT AT THE COUNTY OF SAN DIEGO, WHERE IT REALLY HELPED STAFF AND MANAGERS TO UNDERSTAND WHEN THEY NEED TO ELEVATE ISSUES TO GET THEM RESOLVED SO THEY DON'T DRAG OUT FOR A LONG TIME UNTIL IT FINALLY COMES TO MY ATTENTION.
AND SO THAT'S ONE OF THE THINGS THAT I WANT TO TRY TO UNDERSTAND BETTER, AND THE CUSTOMERS COULD HAVE UNDERSTAND WHEN THEY CAN ELEVATE A FORMAL REQUEST FOR ISSUE RESOLUTION WHEN THEY FEEL LIKE IT'S JUST GOING BACK AND FORTH AND NEVER GETTING RESOLVED.
AND AS YOU ALL KNOW, THAT HAPPENS QUITE OFTEN.
SO THAT'S HOW I WANT TO ADDRESS THAT FORMALLY.
BROOKS COMPTON: COMMISSIONER? RAY? RAYMOND PAIZ: THANK YOU, CHAIR.
I WANT TO BE REAL CLEAR WITH THIS, JACOB.
I'M A BIG ADVOCATE OF YOURS AND THE EFFORT YOU'RE PUTTING FORTH ALREADY, FIRST AND FOREMOST.
I TRULY BELIEVE IN LONG-TERM AND VERY STRATEGIC PLANNING.
AND JUST THE INITIAL CONCEPT HERE-- IT'S STARTING TO REVEAL YOUR EXPERTISE, AND WE APPRECIATE IT.
THERE'S A LOT OF FLESHING OUT YET TO BE DONE HERE.
WE APPRECIATE THE WORK YOU'VE DONE ALREADY BECAUSE NOW WE'RE MOVING FORWARD, AND WE HAVE A DIRECTION, WHEREAS IN THE PAST, IT WAS A SHIP WITHOUT A RUDDER.
BUT I THINK WE'RE STARTING TO ALIGN THAT NOW WITH WHAT THE BOARD'S DIRECTION IS, AND OUR TOOLS THAT WE'RE NEEDING TO FORMULATE THE LAND USE AND ZONING ISSUES AND ADDRESS THEM ARE GOING TO BE DEALT WITH.
AS ONE OF THE SUPERVISORS STATED, A LOT OF OUR ORDINANCES AND REGULATIONS ARE ANTIQUATED.
[00:50:05]
THEY'RE WAY TOO OLD FOR THIS MODERN WORLD THAT WE'RE IN NOW, AND THAT NEEDS TO PROBABLY BE MOVED FORWARD.BUT I APPRECIATE EVERYTHING YOU'VE DONE SO FAR, AND YOU'VE GOT AN ADVOCATE IN ME WITH REGARDS TO THIS STRATEGIC PLAN.
AND WE'RE GOING TO DO WHAT WE CAN TO HELP YOU AND YOUR STAFF FULFILL THIS PLAN.
THIS IS NOT GOING TO HAPPEN IN THREE TO FIVE YEARS.
BUT THERE'S GOING TO BE REVIEWS THAT WILL HELP CONTINUE TO DEVELOP IT.
AND, FINALLY, FOR THE BOARD, WE DO TAKE SOME DIRECTION FROM YOU.
WE'D LIKE TO KNOW WHERE YOU GUYS ARE INTERESTED IN, YOUR AREAS, WHAT YOUR INTERESTS ARE AND WHAT YOUR SUPPORT AND LACK OF SUPPORT IS FOR.
I THINK IT'S IMPORTANT WE DO KNOW THAT.
AND THIS STRATEGIC PLAN IS GOING TO DRIVE BUDGETS.
IT IS GOING TO DEVELOP ISSUES, BRING FORTH ISSUES THAT YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE TO DEAL WITH IN THE BUDGETARY PROCESS.
I THINK WE'RE ALL PART OF THAT PROCESS.
AND I'VE SEEN HOW IT IMPACTS IT.
SOMETIMES YOU JUST GOT TO BITE THE BULLET AND SUPPORT WHAT THE DEPARTMENT NEEDS TO GET THE JOB DONE.
AND THEY'RE GOING TO COME TO YOU WITH REQUESTS THAT MAY SEEM UNREASONABLE, BUT IN FACT ARE SUPPORTED BY THE EFFORTS THAT THEY'VE GOT LAID OUT HERE IN THIS PLAN.
SO I THINK IT'S JUST SOMETHING TO BE READY FOR IN THE COMING BUDGET YEAR.
BROOKS COMPTON: COMMISSIONER CHERRY? YEAH.
DAN CHERRY: I DON'T WANT TO PILE ON THE DIRECTOR ANY MORE THAN HAS ALREADY OCCURRED BECAUSE I DON'T WANT TO SCARE HIM OFF.
[LAUGHTER] YOU'VE HAD A LOT THROWN AT YOU HERE TODAY, AND I APPRECIATE THAT YOU HAVEN'T GOTTEN UP AND WALKED OUT, SO.
OBVIOUSLY, THE BIGGEST ISSUE HERE IS PRIORITIZING ALL THESE THINGS THAT ARE BEING DISCUSSED.
I'M HERE TO TALK TO AND BE A MEMBER OF THIS COMMISSION TO HELP FURTHER YOUR CAUSES.
BUT SO MUCH OF THIS IS BETWEEN YOU AND YOUR STAFF AND THESE ELECTED OFFICIALS HERE.
AND MANY TIMES, THIS COMMISSION IS JUST ADDRESSING WHAT'S BROUGHT BEFORE US.
AND THAT'S REALLY UP TO YOU AND THE BOARD TO DECIDE WHAT'S A PRIORITY, AND THEN WE'RE HAPPY TO GIVE YOU FEEDBACK ON THOSE PRIORITIES.
SO I DON'T HAVE ANYTHING ADDITIONAL TO ADD AT THIS POINT.
BUT I DO THINK THAT YOU HAVE A LOT HERE TO CONSIDER.
AND IT'S AGGRESSIVE, ONE WAY OR THE OTHER, AS TO HOW YOU'RE GOING TO MOVE FORWARD.
AND I DO AGREE THAT IT IS VERY IMPORTANT AND HIGHLY NECESSARY AT THIS POINT.
MR. EASTWOOD AND THEN [INAUDIBLE]? I'M JUST GOING DOWN THE LINE, SO YOU'RE NEXT.
MICHAEL EASTWOOD: THERE YOU GO.
I FINALLY GET TO TALK FOR ONCE.
MICHAEL EASTWOOD: POOR MR. CHAIRMAN COMPTON'S GOING TO GO, GOD, WILL HE SHUT UP? SO NO, BUT FIRST OF ALL, SINCE YOU'VE JOINED US-- LIKE HE SAID-- I WANT TO STATE IT, TOO.
YOU'RE ALWAYS POSITIVE AT OUR MEETINGS.
LIKE I SAID, YOU BRING IN THAT ENERGY, BECAUSE TO ME, EVERYTHING'S ENERGY.
IF YOU COME IN WITH A BAD FACE OR LOOKING EVERYTHING ELSE, THEN YOU'RE GOING TO SUCK IT DOWN.
I LIKE YOUR PLAN IN THE BEGINNING.
EVERYTHING'S ABOUT POLICIES AND PROCEDURES AND HOW TO DO THEM, TO MAKE THEM FLOW, BECAUSE WE WERE SHIPPING IN AND OUT FROM THE UNITED STATES TO EVERYTHING ELSE TO MAKE THEM WORK.
AND YOU GOT TO JUST GET YOUR PLANS, AND AGAIN, THEN YOU GOT TO GET YOUR DATES RIGHT AND WHAT'S THE FIRST ONES ON.
AND TO ME, JUST FROM MY DEAL, WHERE IT'S PERMITTING.
AND, I MEAN, I'VE LIVED THIS THING IN THE LAST YEAR AND A HALF, BUILDING A NEW HOUSE.
AND I GOT A [INAUDIBLE] MOTEL WITH-- ACT OF GOD THAT I FINALLY GOT MY PERMIT ABOUT FOUR MONTHS GETTING IT DONE.
AND THEN I GET MY FENCING, AND I'M 120 DAYS, AND I FIND-- OH, NO.
IT MIGHT'VE BEEN EVEN LONGER THAN THAT, BUT WHEN I FINALLY GOT MY FENCE PERMIT.
AND I GOT MY HORSES LOCKED UP IN A SMALL AREA AND THINGS LIKE THIS.
MY LANDSCAPER BUDDY, ON A GAS LINE, WHERE HE'S OUT IN TALKING ROCK IN 12 WEEKS AND DOESN'T HAVE A PERMIT, AND THEN THE GENTLEMAN JUST SAYS, HEY, CANCEL IT.
HE HAS EVERYTHING THERE, AND THEN THE PERMIT SHOWS UP TWO WEEKS LATER.
I HAVE A GENTLEMAN THAT RENTS AN OFFICE-- IT'S A BUILDER-- FROM US.
AND HE'S IN ABOUT 13 WEEKS, AND THEN HE GETS AN EMAIL AND SAYS, WE'RE STILL ABOUT SIX WEEKS OUT, LOOKING AT IT.
AND HE BUILT THIS HOUSE HERE, AND HE BOUGHT THE LOT NEXT DOOR, AND IT'S THE SAME HOUSE.
I MEAN, THIS THING, TO ME, SHOULD'VE BEEN FAIRLY QUICK.
I GOT ANOTHER BUILDER IN THERE.
HE'S IN REVISION 2, AND IT'S 80 DAYS OUT, AND THEY HAVEN'T HEARD ANYTHING.
SO AGAIN, THOSE ARE JUST MY SCENARIOS.
A LITTLE BIT, MR. KUKNYO TALKED ABOUT, TOO, WAS JUST ANONYMOUS COMPLAINTS.
I LIVE OUT IN WILLIAMSON VALLEY.
THE NICEST LADY YOU'LL EVER SEE.
SOMEBODY BUILT A HOUSE IN FRONT OF HER.
[00:55:02]
I DON'T KNOW HOW IT EVER GOT THROUGH, BUT IT HAS-- WE HAVE THE LIGHT SKIES WHERE THEY'RE SUPPOSED TO JUST SHINE DOWN, AND HE HAS THESE BRIGHT LIGHTS.WELL, SOMEBODY TURNS HIM IN, BUT HE BLAMES HER, AND IT WASN'T HER.
AND NEXT THING YOU KNOW, HE'S YELLING, SCREAMING MATCHES.
AND THEN HE FILES A COMPLAINT ON HER FOR SOMETHING.
AND WE FIND OUT IT'S DOWN THE STREET.
SHE DOES HER HOMEWORK, AND IT'S ANOTHER NEIGHBOR.
BUT HE DIDN'T KNOW, OR AT LEAST HE WOULD'VE KNOWN WHO TURNED IT IN AND MAYBE HE DIDN'T GO AFTER HER.
AND NOW WE GOT THE HATFIELD AND MCCOYS.
AND THE ROADS THAT SUPERVISOR KUKNYO TALKED ABOUT, TOO-- I AGREE.
SOMEBODY CUT IN FIVE HOMES BEHIND ME.
THEY GOT A ROAD, NO ROAD AGREEMENT.
NOW THE GARBAGE TRUCK COMES IN, AND IT'S ALL RUN, BUT IT'S CUTTING THROUGH MY PROPERTY.
AND THEN THEY'RE SAYING, HEY, ARE YOU GOING TO CLEAN IT UP? AND IT'S LIKE, I DIDN'T BUILD THIS ROAD.
NOW, I DO GET ON MY TRACTOR, AND I'LL CLEAN UP SOME OF IT.
BUT I THINK THAT'S SOMETHING, AGAIN-- WHEN THESE GUYS COME IN AND BUY THESE LANDS AND SPLIT, THAT HAS TO BE IN THERE.
BUT AGAIN, I THINK YOU'RE A GREAT JOB.
I WILL SAY, IN THE PLAN, YOU GOT TO GET YOUR TEAMS TO BUY IN BECAUSE IT'S THE ONLY WAY IT'S GOING TO HAPPEN.
THEY GOT TO WANT TO OWN IT, TOO, AND GO.
AND LIKE I SAID, IT'S JUST FROM PAST EXPERIENCE.
BUT AGAIN, I DO APPRECIATE YOU.
AND LIKE I SAID, YOU'RE ALWAYS THERE PASSIONATE.
AND YOU GUYS DID A GREAT HIRE.
BROOKS COMPTON: THANK YOU, SIR.
COMMISSIONER? MICHAEL SCHUMACHER: I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO THE CHANGES.
I'M JUST GOING BY EXPERIENCE WITH THE LAST BUILDING I HAD BUILT. GOD, IT WAS TO THE POINT WHERE YOU CAN DO IT THIS WAY, BUT IF YOU DO IT THAT WAY, YOU CAN'T DO IT THIS WAY.
AND THAT'S HOW CONFUSING IT WAS TO ME.
BROOKS COMPTON: THANK YOU, SIR.
WELL, THAT WRAPS UP-- BROOKS COMPTON: OH, I'M SORRY.
NIKKI CHECK: DON'T FORGET TO SPEAK THROUGH-- BROOKS COMPTON: RANDY, IT'S THE SHIRT.
BROOKS COMPTON: WELL, IT WAS THE COMMISSIONER ROW.
RANDALL GARRISON: NO, I APPRECIATE IT.
I GUESS I WANT TO GO BACK TO WHERE SUPERVISOR KUKNYO STARTED, AN.
I APPRECIATE WHAT YOU'VE PUT TOGETHER HERE, BUT WE'RE GOING DOWN TWO DIFFERENT PATHS.
WE'RE TALKING ABOUT ZONING AND ORDINANCE UPDATES, AND THEN WE'RE TALKING ABOUT HOW YOU'RE GOING TO REBUILD YOUR DEPARTMENT.
AND YOU SAID IT IN YOUR PRESENTATION, AND YOU SAID IT AGAIN WHILE WE'VE BEEN TALKING, IS HOW HARD YOUR STAFF WORKS.
I THINK THAT THE COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT DEPARTMENT HAS ALWAYS WORKED REALLY HARD.
BUT IT ALWAYS FELT-- WHEN I WAS HERE, IT ALWAYS FELT LIKE THEY WERE CHASING THEIR TAIL BECAUSE THERE WAS NO CLEAR DIRECTION ON WHAT THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO DO OR HOW THEY WERE SUPPOSED TO DO IT.
AND WHAT I REALLY APPRECIATED WAS THE BULLET POINTS YOU MADE HERE ON YOUR COVER PAGE.
AND IT STARTED WITH CUSTOMER SERVICE.
THE WORST DAY I HAD SITTING IN AN OFFICE UPSTAIRS WAS ANSWERING THE PHONE AND TALKING TO SOMEBODY WHO WAS FRUSTRATED OR CONFUSED ABOUT HOW TO GET THROUGH A PROCESS THAT SHOULD'VE BEEN FAIRLY SIMPLE TO WORK THEIR WAY THROUGH.
BUT THEY COULDN'T FIGURE OUT HOW TO DO IT BECAUSE EITHER THE RULES WERE SO DIFFICULT TO UNDERSTAND OR THE PERSON THEY WERE DEALING WITH WAS INCAPABLE OR WASN'T ABLE TO SEE THEIR ISSUE.
THEY WERE FOLLOWING A SET OF GUIDELINES OR A SET OF RULES OR A SCRIPT THAT SAID, HERE'S HOW WE DEAL WITH THIS.
INSTEAD OF REMEMBERING WHAT IT'S LIKE TO BE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THAT COUNTER SOMETIMES.
SO I APPRECIATE WHAT YOU'VE DONE HERE.
I THINK IT'S LIKE BUILDING BLOCKS.
EVERY ONE OF THESE THINGS MATTER, AND IF YOU GET THEM ALL RIGHT, YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE AN AMAZING DEPARTMENT.
BUT GETTING THOSE ALL RIGHT IS GOING TO BE WHERE THE HARD WORK COMES IN.
BUT WITHOUT KNOWING WHERE YOU'RE GOING, YOU DON'T KNOW HOW TO GET THERE, SO I APPRECIATE THE WORK YOU'RE DOING ON GETTING US TO A NEW DAY.
BROOKS COMPTON: AGAIN, THANK YOU.
MOVING ON TO 3, ZONING AND ORDINANCE AMENDMENT INITIATION
[3. Zoning Ordinance Amendment Initiation on Steel Storage Containers - Presentation covering the staff request for authorization to research and propose amendments to the Yavapai County Planning and Zoning Ordinance to adjust and potentially lessen current restrictions on steel storage containers. Staff: Becca Sirakis, Senior Planner]
AND STEEL STORAGE CONTAINERS.BECCA SIRAKIS: GOOD MORNING, CHAIR COMPTON, CHAIR GRIFFIS, MEMBERS OF THE COMMISSION AND BOARD.
MY NAME IS BECCA SIRAKIS, PLANNER WITH YAVAPAI COUNTY DEVELOPMENT SERVICES.
SO TODAY, I AM PRESENTING ON STEEL STORAGE CONTAINER REGULATIONS, AND WE'LL BE DISCUSSING THE THREE WAYS THAT STEEL STORAGE CONTAINERS CAN BE PERMITTED THROUGH-- LET ME GET TO THE RIGHT SLIDE.
BROOKS COMPTON: YEAH, A LITTLE CLOSER TO THE MIC.
BROOKS COMPTON: THEY HAD THESE LITTLE-- [LAUGHTER] BECCA SIRAKIS: I DIDN'T READ.
SO TODAY I'LL BE PRESENTING ON THE THREE WAYS THAT STEEL STORAGE CONTAINERS CAN BE PERMITTED IN YAVAPAI COUNTY.
SO FOR ONE, THEY CAN BE PERMITTED AS AN INDIVIDUAL CONTAINER FOR PERSONAL STORAGE.
SECOND, THEY COULD BE PERMITTED AS A BUILDING COMPONENT FOR ACCESSORY STRUCTURES LIKE PART OF A CARPORT OR BARN.
AND THREE, THEY COULD BE PERMITTED IN CERTAIN ZONING DISTRICTS AS A RESIDENTIAL UNIT, DWELLING UNIT.
SO THE INTENT OF THIS DISCUSSION TODAY
[01:00:03]
IS TO INITIATE FEEDBACK AND POSSIBLE DIRECTION ON HOW DEVELOPMENT SERVICES COULD DEVELOP A ZONING ORDINANCE AMENDMENT TO AMEND THE RESTRICTIONS FOR CONTAINERS IF DEEMED APPROPRIATE.BEFORE GOING INTO THE DISCUSSION, I FIRST JUST WANT TO DRILL DOWN INTO, WHAT IS A STEEL STORAGE CONTAINER.
PER OUR PLANNING AND ZONING ORDINANCE, A STEEL STORAGE CONTAINER IS A STEEL STRUCTURE, SOMETIMES REFERRED TO AS A CARGO CONTAINER, WHICH IS INDEPENDENT OF ANY TRAILER OR AXLES AND IS COMMERCIALLY PRODUCED AND DESIGNED FOR THE PURPOSES OF STORAGE OF PERSONAL OR COMMERCIAL BELONGINGS OR PRODUCTS.
IT DOES NOT INCLUDE TRACTOR TRAILERS OR BOXCARS, PER THE YAVAPAI COUNTY PLANNING AND ZONING ORDINANCE.
STARTING OFF WITH THE MOST COMMON WAY WE PERMIT CONTAINERS, IT'S FOR THE USE OF PERSONAL STORAGE OR INDIVIDUAL PLACEMENT OF CONTAINERS.
THE FOLLOWING REGULATIONS ARE IN THE ORDINANCE FOR THIS USE.
CONTAINERS ARE ALLOWED IN ALL ZONING DISTRICTS EXCEPT FOR R1L, OUR MOST RESTRICTIVE ZONING DISTRICT.
ONE COMMENT OUR CUSTOMERS SOMETIMES HAVE, OR QUESTION, IS THAT THEY AREN'T ALLOWED TO HAVE A STEEL STORAGE CONTAINER BUT THEY CAN HAVE A TUFF SHED OR A METAL BUILDING IN R1L.
JUST A QUESTION THAT COMES UP FOR THEM.
MOVING ON, A MAX OF 400 TOTAL SQUARE FEET OF CONTAINER IS ALLOWED ON ONE PROPERTY, SO THAT'S EITHER ONE 8-BY-40 OR TWO 8-BY-20S.
A PARCEL MUST BE A MINIMUM OF TWO ACRES TO ALLOW A CONTAINER.
CONTAINERS MUST MEET A MINIMUM OF 5 FEET SEPARATION, JUST LIKE ANY OTHER STRUCTURE, BETWEEN EACH OTHER.
CONTAINERS ALWAYS, NO MATTER THE SIZE, DO REQUIRE A ZONING CLEARANCE PERMIT PRIOR TO PLACEMENT.
CONVERSELY, OTHER TYPES OF STORAGE STRUCTURES, LIKE A TUFF SHED OR OTHER TYPE OF STORAGE UNDER 200 SQUARE FEET, DOES NOT REQUIRE A PERMIT.
CONTAINERS MUST MEET THE PRIMARY RESIDENCE SETBACKS, WHERE OTHER TYPE OF STORAGE STRUCTURES MAY BE 5 FEET FROM THE REAR OF THE PROPERTY.
AND LASTLY, STEEL STORAGE CONTAINERS MUST BE PAINTED THE SAME COLOR AS THE RESIDENCE OR AN EARTH-TONED COLOR.
AND THIS BRINGS ME TO THE IMAGES ON THE SLIDE.
THE IMAGE TO THE BOTTOM OF THE TEXT SHOWS THAT THE CONTAINER MATCHES THE COLOR OF THE RESIDENCE, WHICH WOULD BE APPROVABLE, WHEREAS THE CONTAINER TO THE RIGHT, SOME OF YOU MIGHT REMEMBER, DID NOT MATCH THE RESIDENCE, AND IT DID COME BEFORE SOME OF THE BOARD AS A PUBLIC USE PERMIT.
AND SO THIS ONE DID ULTIMATELY END UP BEING APPROVED, BUT IT WAS REQUIRED TO BE PAINTED.
SO THAT WAS JUST A FUN THING TO PUT IT IN.
BROOKS COMPTON: AND THAT'S A BEAUTIFUL GARBAGE CAN.
[LAUGHTER] BECCA SIRAKIS: I WISH WE HAD A BETTER PICTURE.
I WAS TRYING TO FIND ONE WITHOUT THE GARBAGE CAN.
SO THAT'S THE USE FOR INDIVIDUAL PLACEMENT, THOSE REGULATIONS SPECIFIC TO INDIVIDUAL PLACEMENT.
BUT MOVING FORWARD TO THE SECOND USE IS THE USE OF STEEL STORAGE CONTAINERS AS A BUILDING COMPONENT FOR NON-HABITABLE ACCESSORY STRUCTURES.
THIS IS AN ALLOWED USE AND IS NOT SUBJECT TO THE INDIVIDUAL STEEL STORAGE CONTAINER REGULATIONS.
THESE STRUCTURES, SUCH AS A BARN OR GARAGE, ARE SUBJECT TO BUILDING PERMITS JUST LIKE ANY OTHER STRUCTURES WOULD BE.
CHRIS KUKNYO: CHAIR? BROOKS COMPTON: YES, CERTAINLY.
CHRIS KUKNYO: BUT GO BACK ONE.
BUT THOSE ARE 240S, SO THAT WOULD NOT BE ALLOWED BECAUSE IT GOES OVER THE SQUARE FOOTAGE.
BECCA SIRAKIS: SO SOMETHING-- CHRIS KUKNYO: QUESTION.
SO PART OF WHAT STAFF IS HOPING FOR TODAY IS SOME CLARIFICATION THAT WE'RE-- MAYBE DIRECTION TO ADD CLARIFICATION IN THE ORDINANCE TO CLARIFY THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN INDIVIDUAL PLACEMENT OF CONTAINERS AND HOW THOSE REGULATIONS APPLY TO THAT AND HOW THEY DO NOT APPLY TO STRUCTURES AND COMPONENTS WHEN THEY'RE BUILT WITH ENGINEERED PERMITS THROUGH BUILDING SAFETY.
CHRIS KUKNYO: YEAH, BECAUSE THIS IS IN THING NOW, BECAUSE ANYTHING YOU LEAVE OUTSIDE IN ARIZONA JUST FALLS APART.
AND EVERYONE'S USING THOSE TO PARK TRAILERS, TRACTORS, WHATEVER.
AND I KNOW THAT WE DON'T REALLY ALLOW THAT.
SO IT'S GOOD-- I MEAN, I WOULD LIKE TO SEE US MOVE TOWARDS ALLOWING THAT.
BECCA SIRAKIS: YEAH, DEFINITELY.
AND WE'RE HOPING TO ADD SOME CLARIFICATION IN THE ORDINANCE TO SPECIFY THAT IT WOULD BE ALLOWABLE WITH WHATEVER REGULATIONS WE DO COME UP WITH THAT, FOR THOSE.
BROOKS COMPTON: COMMISSIONER PAIZ? RAYMOND PAIZ: YEAH, JUST FOR MY CLARIFICATION, ARE WE LOOKING TO VOID THE 400-SQUARE-FOOT REQUIREMENT, OR WHAT IS YOUR INTENT HERE? BECCA SIRAKIS: ABSOLUTELY.
SO CURRENTLY, THE INTENT IS TO-- WELL, FIRST JUST GAIN FEEDBACK, BUT TO ALLOW--
[01:05:02]
TO MOVE FORWARD WITH INDIVIDUAL PLACEMENT OF CONTAINERS, TO HAVE THAT MAXIMUM NUMBER OF CONTAINERS OR MAXIMUM SQUARE FOOTAGE WHEREVER WE LAND, BUT TO NOT REQUIRE A MAXIMUM SQUARE FOOTAGE OF CONTAINER WHEN IT'S BEING USED AS A COMPONENT.RAYMOND PAIZ: THIS IS A GOOD EXAMPLE.
BROOKS COMPTON: WHAT IF YOU PAINT YOUR HOUSE LIKE HAIGHT-ASHBURY? DOES THAT OTHER CONTAINER WORK? I MEAN, THAT'S A GOOD QUESTION.
IN DISTRICT 1, IT'S A QUESTION.
BECCA SIRAKIS: THAT'S A VERY GOOD QUESTION.
WE WOULD HAVE TO LOOK INTO THAT.
BROOKS COMPTON: THEY HAVE HOMES LIKE THAT.
BECCA SIRAKIS: [LAUGHS] SO THANK YOU.
SO MOVING FORWARD TO THE THIRD TYPE OR WAY OF USING A STEEL STORAGE CONTAINER IS TO USE THEM AS A DWELLING UNIT, WHETHER THAT'S A SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENCE OR A GUEST HOME, OR I SHOULD SAY, ADU.
THAT IS A PERMITTED USE IN ALL ZONING DISTRICTS EXCEPT FOR R1L.
R1L IS OUR SITE-BUILT-ONLY ZONING DISTRICT FOR DWELLING UNITS.
AND CURRENTLY, HOW THAT WORKS IS IT'S PERMITTED THROUGH THE ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING AND DEVELOPMENT SERVICES, JUST VERY SIMILARLY TO HOW MANUFACTURED HOMES ARE PERMITTED.
SO THE DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING WILL PERMIT THE STRUCTURE AND THE PLACEMENT, WHERE DEVELOPMENT SERVICES WILL LOOK AT THE ZONING REQUIREMENTS, FLOOD CONTROL, ADDRESSING, AND ENVIRONMENTAL WASTEWATER.
BROOKS COMPTON: SUPERVISOR MALLORY? MARY MALLORY: THANK YOU, CHAIR.
REBECCA-- OH, I'M SO SORRY, SANDY.
SANDY GRIFFIS: NO, I'M SO SORRY, SUPERVISOR.
SO I'M GOING TO ASK THIS QUESTION, AND IT MAY SOUND VERY SILLY OR HOWEVER.
BUT CAN PEOPLE WITH THE-- NOW ABLE TO BUILD THESE OTHER TYPES OF HOUSES IN THEIR BACKYARD? SO THESE LOOK GREAT.
COULD THIS BE USED AS THOSE DEVELOPMENT-- WHAT DO YOU CALL THEM? THE ADUS? COULD THIS, I'D LIKE TO KNOW, BE A POSSIBILITY WHEN PEOPLE BUILD THE ADUS, WHICH ARE APPROVED BY THE STATE.
AM I CORRECT ON THAT? SANDY GRIFFIS: NO.
THE ADUS BEING BUILT RIGHT NOW ARE STICK HOMES, SO THEY GO THROUGH A REGULAR PERMIT PROCESS.
MARY MALLORY: COULD THIS POSSIBLY FALL INTO THAT? JUST A QUESTION.
SO CURRENTLY, STEEL STORAGE CONTAINERS BEING PERMITTED THROUGH THE DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING-- THEY GO THROUGH A BIG PROCESS WITH THEM BEFORE THEY'RE PLACED-- CAN BE PERMITTED AS A DWELLING UNIT, WHETHER THAT'S AN ADU OR A SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENCE, JUST NOT CURRENTLY IN THE R1L ZONING DISTRICT.
MARY MALLORY: BUT IT CAN ABSOLUTELY HAPPEN, JUST NOT IN THAT PARTICULAR ZONING.
CHRIS KUKNYO: AND THIS IS WHERE WE'RE LOSING SOME CONSISTENCY WITH THE WHOLE NEIGHBORHOOD BECAUSE I THINK CHINO VALLEY DOES NOT ALLOW ELECTRIC OR PLUMBING, WHICH YOU WOULD NEED IN AN ADU.
SO JUST TRYING TO GET SOMETHING WHERE-- BECAUSE WHEN PEOPLE SAY, WELL, MY NEIGHBOR ACROSS THE STREET DOES-- WELL, YOUR NEIGHBOR'S IN CHINO VALLEY.
SO WE JUST WANT-- BROOKS COMPTON: COMMISSIONER GRIFFIS? SANDY GRIFFIS: THANK YOU, CHAIR.
TO THE SUPERVISORS AND THE COMMISSION, I AM ADAMANTLY OPPOSED THAT THIS STEEL STORAGE CONTAINER FOR DWELLING UNITS SHOULD HAVE TO GO THROUGH THE DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING.
AND OUR CHIEF BUILDING OFFICIAL IS HERE WITH US, AND I WOULD LIKE TO GET HIS INPUT ON THAT BECAUSE THESE STRUCTURES ALL GO THROUGH STRUCTURAL ENGINEERING AND STAMPS AND SEALS.
SO THANK YOU, MR. COLVIN, FOR I HOPE, AGREEING WITH ME.
WARREN COLVIN: THANK YOU-- BROOKS COMPTON: HAVEN'T DECIDED YET.
WARREN COLVIN: YOU HAVEN'T DECIDED ABOUT SANDY? BROOKS COMPTON: SANDY.
SO-- BROOKS COMPTON: FEEL FREE.
[LAUGHTER] WARREN COLVIN: THANK YOU, CHAIR, BOARD, COMMISSIONERS.
WARREN COLVIN, CHIEF BUILDING OFFICIAL, YAVAPAI COUNTY.
WE ACTUALLY, THIS PAST YEAR, IN OUR BUILDING CODE ADOPTION AND ORDINANCE-- WE ACTUALLY ADDRESSED THE USE OF A STEEL CARGO CONTAINERS FOR SINGLE-FAMILY RESIDENCES, BECAUSE WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE STATE DEFINITION OF A FACTORY-BUILT BUILDING, IT SAYS, ALL OR PART OF THE STRUCTURE IS BUILT ON AN OFFSITE PREMISE.
SO WHAT WE DID WAS IS WE LOOKED AT THIS AS THE ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING ACTUALLY HAS A PROGRAM ALREADY ESTABLISHED FOR CARGO CONTAINERS, WHERE THEY'RE ACTUALLY PRODUCED AND MANUFACTURED AT A FACTORY.
IN THAT PROCESS IS-- THAT CARGO CONTAINER-- THE MODIFICATIONS ARE DONE OFFSITE IN A FACTORY, SO THEY'RE NOT DONE ONSITE, PREMISE.
AND THEN THEY'RE INSPECTED THROUGH THE SIMILAR TO A MANUFACTURED HOME.
AND THEN IT TAKES THE BUILDING DEPARTMENT OUT OF THE EQUATION
[01:10:02]
BECAUSE WE DON'T REALLY HAVE ANY GUIDELINES IN THE IRC, INTERNATIONAL RESIDENTIAL CODE, TO ADDRESS THIS TYPE OF CONSTRUCTION.SO IN OUR MEETINGS WITH OUR STAKEHOLDERS AND ALL THAT STUFF, IT WAS DECIDED THAT WE WOULD TREAT THIS THE SAME AS A MANUFACTURED HOME.
AND THERE ARE PROVISIONS IN THE CODE FOR THESE TO BE USED WITH ENGINEERING.
SO THAT'S THE BIGGEST THING IS EVERYBODY LIKES THE WORD AFFORDABILITY AND ALL THAT STUFF, SUSTAINABILITY.
BUT WHEN YOU ACTUALLY LOOK AT REFURBISHING THESE AND ALL THAT STUFF, WHEN YOU TALK TO CLIENTS THAT DO THIS, YEAH, GRANTED, THE CONEX BOX IS CHEAP, BUT IT'S THE LEARNING CURVE FOR ALL THE SUBS AND ALL THAT STUFF WHEN YOU TRY TO TAKE THIS INTO CONSIDERATION.
SO YOU CAN ARGUE EITHER WAY ABOUT AFFORDABILITY IN THIS SITUATION.
GRANTED, THE OVERALL STRUCTURE MAY BE CHEAP, BUT WHEN YOU LOOK AT THE LONG-TERM COST OF ELECTRICAL, PLUMBING, MECHANICAL, ENGINEERING, AND ALL THAT STUFF, IS IT REALLY AFFORDABLE? THAT'S FOR NOT FOR ME TO SAY.
BUT-- CHRIS KUKNYO: DO WE ALLOW OWNER/BUILDERS? NO.
THE STATE OF ARIZONA DOES ALLOW OWNER/BUILDERS WITH THE CAVEAT THAT YOU EITHER HAVE TO PERFORM THE WORK YOURSELF, OR YOU HAVE TO HIRE LICENSED CONTRACTORS.
BROOKS COMPTON: VICE CHAIR CHECK? NIKKI CHECK: THANK YOU.
I DON'T HAVE A LOT OF PERSONAL EXPERIENCE OF DEALING WITH THE DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING OR WHAT THAT PERMITTING PROCESS LOOKS LIKE, WHAT THE DIFFICULTIES MIGHT BE THERE.
BUT THE DISTINCTION THAT I REALLY SEE IN MODULAR HOUSING OVER THE LAST MANY, MANY DECADES IS THAT IT'S REALLY EVOLVED TO A PLACE WHERE IT'S NOT REALLY TEMPORARY.
THESE STRUCTURES AREN'T GOING TO BE STREWN ABOUT THEIR YARDS IN 50 YEARS, LIKE MANY OF THE MOBILE HOMES AND MANUFACTURED HOMES OF YESTERYEAR.
AND SO, WHEN YOU HAVE REALLY HIGH-END CAPABILITIES WITH MODULAR HOMES, IT MAKES ME WONDER IF WE COULDN'T POSSIBLY EXPAND OUR DEFINITION SO THAT YOU HAVE A STRUCTURE THAT'S GOING TO STAND FOR A HUNDRED YEARS AND DOES NOT LOWER PROPERTY VALUES, BECAUSE IT IS REALLY ATTRACTIVE VISUALLY, THAT THOSE MIGHT BE DEFINITION EXPANSIONS THAT PEOPLE LIVING IN R1L ZONES MIGHT ACTUALLY VERY MUCH APPRECIATE.
SO THAT'S SOMETHING THAT WE COULD POSSIBLY DO TO BRIDGE THAT GAP THERE.
BROOKS COMPTON: COMMISSIONER GARRISON? RANDALL GARRISON: SO I HAVE A QUESTION.
ONE OF THE VERY FIRST ITEMS THAT WE DID A HEARING ON WHEN I WAS PUT ON THIS COMMISSION WAS THE BUSINESS THAT WAS SELLING CARGO CONTAINERS OUT OF CURTIS LAKES.
AND MOST OF OUR DISCUSSION THAT DAY SEEMED TO REVOLVE AROUND HIS USE OF A CARGO CONTAINER FOR AN OFFICE ONSITE.
AND ONE OF THE PROBLEMS THAT WE KEPT RUNNING INTO THROUGH THAT WHOLE DISCUSSION AND IN ALL OF MY FOLLOW-UP READING THROUGH THE ORDINANCES IS THERE'S NO CLEAR, DEFINED WAY OF HOW TO ATTACH A CARGO CONTAINER TO PROPERTY.
YET IT WAS A REQUIREMENT THAT HE DID IT.
AND FOR SOME REASON, WE KEPT TELLING HIM THAT THE DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING WAS THE ONES WHO WERE IN CHARGE OF FIGURING OUT HOW TO GET IT ONTO THE GROUND.
BUT WE WERE REQUIRING IT, AND THERE WAS NO DEFINITION IN THE DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING ON HOW TO DO THAT.
SO HAVE WE FIXED-- BECAUSE WHAT I'M SEEING IS SOME OF THESE CONTAINERS WERE SET ON BLOCK.
SOME ARE JUST SET ON THE GROUND.
PEOPLE ARE GOING TO PUT THEM OUT THERE.
BUT IT SEEMS LIKE WE SHOULD BE MAKING SURE THAT WHEN THEY DO GET PUT ON THE GROUND IN SOME MANNER, WHETHER THEY'RE TEMPORARY OR PERMANENT, WE HAVE A WAY OF KEEPING THEM OFF THE FRONT PAGE OF THE PAPER, WATCHING THEM DRIVE DOWN THE STREET IN A FLOOD.
BUT TO DO THAT, WE NEED TO BE ABLE TO TELL THE CUSTOMER HOW TO ATTACH IT TO THE GROUND INSTEAD OF SAYING, WELL, GO TALK TO THE STATE.
WARREN COLVIN: WELL, AND ACTUALLY, SUPERVISOR GARRISON, BECAUSE THAT PORTION OF THE BUILD AND THE ACTUAL INSTALLATION OF THE CARGO CONTAINER FOR THAT FACTORY BUILD OR COMMERCIAL USE-- THAT WOULD BE REGULATED UNDER THE ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING.
IF IT WAS A SITUATION WHERE WE WERE GOING TO PERMIT ONE AS A STORAGE SHED AND ALL THAT STUFF, THEY DO HAVE TO COMPLY WITH THE CODE REQUIREMENTS WHERE THAT STRUCTURE HAS TO BE ANCHORED AND IT HAS TO COMPLY WITH WIND LOADS AND ALL THAT STUFF.
SO WE LEAVE THAT UP BECAUSE WE HAVE NO PRESCRIPTIVE REGULATION ON HOW TO DO THAT.
IT'S REQUIRED TO HAVE THE ENGINEER ADDRESS THAT
[01:15:02]
TO STOP THAT SITUATION WHERE YOU SEE THEM FLOATING DOWN DURING THE RAIN AND ALL THAT STUFF.SO THE CODE DOES REQUIRE THAT ALL STRUCTURES THAT ARE PERMITTED BY THE COUNTY ACTUALLY MEET THE WIND LOADING FOR OVERTURNING AND ALL THAT STUFF.
IT'S JUST A MATTER OF-- THERE IS NO PRESCRIPTIVE REQUIREMENTS ESTABLISHED BY ANY OF THE BUILDING CODES, SO THAT'S WHY WE RELY ON THE ENGINEER.
SO-- TO COME UP WITH THAT REGULATION.
RANDALL GARRISON: BUT I GUESS THAT'S WHERE I'M GOING, IS SHOULD YOU HAVE TO GO HIRE AN ENGINEER TO TELL YOU HOW TO ATTACH A CONTAINER TO THE GROUND, OR SHOULD WE JUST HAVE SOMETHING IN OUR ORDINANCE THAT YOU CAN POINT TO AS PART OF THE PERMITTING PROCESS THAT SAYS, HERE'S A DIAGRAM? WE HAVE IT FOR ELECTRIC PANELS.
WE HAVE IT FOR EVERYTHING ELSE THAT'S ON A CONSTRUCTION.
AND WHAT THE OWNER OF THAT BUSINESS WAS TELLING US, AND THE WHOLE DISCUSSION ABOUT TURNING AN OFFICE INTO A CONTAINER AND ATTACHING IT TO GROUND, IS HE SAID THE DEPARTMENT OF HOUSING STAYS INSIDE OF THE BOX, YET THIS IS OUTSIDE OF THE BOX.
AND SO LIKE I SAID, I'M ALL FOR KEEPING THINGS SIMPLE, KEEPING THINGS UNDERSTANDABLE.
IT'S BETTER FOR THE CUSTOMER WHEN EVERYBODY UNDERSTANDS WHERE YOU'RE GOING AND HOW TO GET THERE.
AND TO ME, IT SEEMS RATHER SIMPLE, IF WE'RE GOING TO START EXPECTING THIS TO BECOME A NORMAL THING, THAT WE SHOULD HAVE SOMETHING IN OUR RULES THAT AT LEAST ALLOWS PEOPLE TO UNDERSTAND HOW THEY CAN IMPLEMENT IT ONCE THEY DECIDE TO GO THAT PATH.
WARREN COLVIN: YEAH, WE'LL LOOK INTO THAT.
IT'S GOING TO BE A SITUATION WHERE YOU'RE GOING TO HAVE NOT ONE SIZE FITS ALL, BECAUSE YOU COULD DESIGN SOMETHING FOR A TIE OR AN ANCHOR FOR AN INDIVIDUAL SINGLE CARGO CONTAINER.
BUT WHAT'S NEXT? IS NEXT NOW YOU HAVE TO DO ONE WHERE THEY WANT TO STACK TWO OF THEM ON TOP OF EACH OTHER? SO WHERE DO WE STOP AS A REGULATORY VERSUS A DESIGN ENTITY? BROOKS COMPTON: COMMISSIONER BUCHANAN? LINDA BUCHANAN: THANK YOU.
ANOTHER ONE OF THE ODDITIES IN THAT CASE THAT COMMISSIONER GARRISON IS REFERENCING WAS THAT I BELIEVE WE ALLOWED MINI STORAGE CONTAINERS TO BE PLACED END TO END AS THE ACTUAL FENCING AND BUFFERING MATERIAL, WHICH WAS JUST A HIGHLY UNUSUAL CONCEPT.
I'VE NEVER RETURNED TO THE PROPERTY TO SEE IF THAT IS, IN FACT, WHAT THEY DID OR-- BUT THE NOTION THAT YOU'RE USING THE OBJECT THAT HAS TO BE BUFFERED AS THE BUFFER WAS-- I DON'T KNOW IF THAT WOULD COME TO US AGAIN OR IF THAT WAS A ONE-OFF IN OUR WHOLE WORLD OF PLANNING AND ZONING, BUT.
WARREN COLVIN: HOPEFULLY, IT WAS A ONE-OFF.
[LAUGHTER] BROOKS COMPTON: WELL, I ACTUALLY HAVE SEEN IT.
AND YOU SIMPLY WRAP IT TO LOOK LIKE THE SURROUNDING AREA.
YOU CAN'T EVEN TELL THAT IT'S THERE.
SO I'M FOR A YES, YES, AND A YES, AS MUCH AS WE CAN DO OF ANY OF THIS, BECAUSE IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT-- WELL, IT'S ABOUT ENTREPRENEURIALSHIP.
IT'S ABOUT THE FREEDOM TO DO WHAT YOU WANT WITH YOUR PROPERTY.
AND I THINK THEY'RE BEAUTIFUL.
I WATCH THE CONTAINER HOME SHOWS ON YOUTUBE ALL THE TIME.
LINDA BUCHANAN: IN THAT CASE, THOUGH, WOULD A 5-FOOT SETBACK BE REQUIRED? BECAUSE YOU COULD END UP WITH PROPERTIES BACK TO BACK AND THIS 10-FOOT AREA BETWEEN THEM.
IF IT'S BEING USED AS FENCING MATERIAL OR FENCING COMPONENT, WOULD YOU BE ALLOWED TO PLACE IT ON YOUR SURVEY LINE? BROOKS COMPTON: WELL, I WOULDN'T SEE THAT THAT WOULD BE POSSIBLE BECAUSE OBVIOUSLY, FIRE WOULD HAVE TO GET IN BETWEEN THE PROPERTIES TO FIND A FIRE.
SO I WOULDN'T WANT, OBVIOUSLY, A SETBACK.
BUT IN TERMS OF USING IT AS A BUFFER, WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT IS THAT-- I'VE SEEN THEM WHERE THEY'RE USED AS BUFFERS AROUND THE WALLS, AND THE INSIDES ARE CUT OUT, AND IT'S AN ENTIRE LIVING SPACE INSIDE THE CONTAINERS, AROUND THE EDGE OF THE PROPERTY, MORE LIKE HOMES THAT YOU WOULD SEE BUILT IN MEXICO, TO WHERE THE WALLS ARE ON THE OUTSIDE AND THEN THE WHOLE LIVING SPACE IS ON THE INSIDE.
SO THAT'S MORE-- I'VE SEEN IT DONE THAT WAY.
CHRIS KUKNYO: CHAIR? BROOKS COMPTON: CERTAINLY.
CHRIS KUKNYO: BECAUSE THIS IS GOING TO BE A HARD ONE TO WRITE BECAUSE IT'S SO COMPLEX IN THE USE OF THESE.
WE'RE GOING TO HAVE ONE REQUIREMENT FOR LIVING STANDARDS.
WE'RE GOING TO HAVE ONE REQUIREMENT FOR STORAGE.
WE'RE GOING TO HAVE ONE REQUIREMENT FOR SHADE STRUCTURE.
AND I THINK IT'S GOING TO BE A LITTLE CRAZY TRYING TO PUT IT TOGETHER.
BUT I WOULD LIKE TO SEE A 20-FOOT ALLOWED ON ANY ZONING AS A SHED BECAUSE THEY ARE SO CHEAP.
THESE THINGS ARE-- YOU CAN GET ONE FOR $3,000, POP IT ON THERE.
IT'S SHADE STRUCTURE SHOULD SOMEONE BE ABLE TO PUT THAT ON THERE.
AND IT PROBABLY SHOULDN'T HAVE TO BE ANCHORED.
[01:20:01]
BUT YOU KNOW WHAT? A HOUSE DEFINITELY SHOULD BE ANCHORED.SO THIS IS GOING TO TAKE SOME TIME AND BE COMPLEX, BUT IT'S WORTHY TO DO THIS.
AND I LOOK AT WHAT KURT WENT THROUGH WITH HIS, AND HE MADE IT LOOK NICE.
BUT HE HAD ANONYMOUS COMPLAINTS AGAINST HIM.
BUT WE NEED TO GET THIS DOWN SOLID.
BROOKS COMPTON: VICE CHAIR? NIKKI CHECK: THANK YOU, MR. CHAIR.
YEAH, THANKS, SUPERVISOR KUKNYO, FOR THAT NOTE, BECAUSE I DO SEE SOME OTHER THINGS CROPPING UP AS FAR AS DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THESE COMPONENTS.
AND ONE THAT STOOD OUT TO ME IN THE CASE THAT WE LOOKED AT EARLIER WAS THE COLOR OF THE STORAGE CONTAINERS.
NOW, WHEN I VISUALLY LOOK OUT IN UNINCORPORATED YAVAPAI COUNTY ALL OVER THE PLACE, BOTH STORAGE CONTAINER SHEDS AND REGULAR SHEDS ARE VERY MUCH OFTEN NOT THE COLOR OF THE BUILDING NEXT DOOR TO THEM AND THEY ARE NOT EARTH TONES.
AND SO WHAT I SEE IS PEOPLE WHO ARE-- THEY'RE FOLLOWING THE RULES-- BEING HELD TO A STANDARD THAT'S NOT VISUALLY-- YOU CANNOT PERCEIVE THAT STANDARD EXISTS IN UNINCORPORATED YAVAPAI COUNTY.
AND AS MUCH AS I PERSONALLY SEE THE VALUE OF HAVING THINGS MATCH AND EARTH TONES INVOLVED, IF THAT'S NOT WHAT'S HAPPENING ON THE GROUND, I THINK WE REALLY HAVE TO LOOK AT-- IF WE'RE NOT ABLE TO ENFORCE SOMETHING BROADLY OR IF WE'RE NOT WILLING TO ENFORCE SOMETHING BROADLY, THAT THOSE STANDARDS SHOULDN'T BE APPLIED TO THOSE FOLLOWING THE RULES.
CHRIS KUKNYO: CHAIR? ONE LAST COMMENT.
WHEN I KNEW WE WERE GOING TO DO THIS, I WENT SHOPPING FOR SHIPPING CONTAINERS.
AND I WENT TO ONE, AND I SAID, HEY, DO YOU NEED A COUNTY PERMIT TO HAVE ONE OF THESE? WELL, YEAH, BUT WE DON'T WORRY ABOUT IT.
SO THEY'RE BUYING THEM AND DELIVERING THEM ANYWHERE, AND THAT'S WHY WE'RE HAVING THESE ISSUES.
BROOKS COMPTON: I WOULD LIKE TO SEE THE ACREAGE CHANGE, PERSONALLY.
WHAT SUPERVISOR KUKNYO WAS TALKING ABOUT WAS A 20-FOOTER ON AN ACRE OR LESS.
I DON'T THINK IT SHOULD BE TWO.
I THINK IT SHOULD BE AN ACRE OR MORE, PERSONALLY.
AND THEN AS THE PROPERTY SIZES GO UP, WE NEED TO-- I WOULD LIKE TO EXPLORE MORE OF THEM ON THE PROPERTY, LIKE TREES, SANDY.
THOSE LITTLE SIGNS BY THE ROAD? SANDY GRIFFIS: OK.
BROOKS COMPTON: OK, THANK YOU.
BECCA? BECCA SIRAKIS: ALL RIGHT.
SO MOVING OVER TO THE NEXT SLIDE, STAFF DID TAKE A VERY CURSORY LOOK AT A FEW SURROUNDING JURISDICTIONS' REGULATIONS REGARDING THE PLACEMENT OF INDIVIDUAL CONTAINERS AND NOTED THAT THE REQUIREMENTS DO VARY WIDELY, DEPENDING ON THE JURISDICTION.
SO IN THE TOWN OF CHINO AND-- I SHOULD HAVE SAID TOWN OF CHINO VALLEY, EXCUSE-- ME, AND COCONINO COUNTY, THEY DO CAP SQUARE FOOTAGE REQUIREMENTS PER PARCEL LIKE WE DO.
THEY REQUIRE CONTAINERS TO BE PAINTED.
THEY REQUIRE SETBACKS, BUILDING SEPARATION, MAX HEIGHT.
JUST KIND OF SIMILARLY TO YAVAPAI COUNTY.
IN THE TOWN OF COTTONWOOD, THEY ACTUALLY DO NOT HAVE ANY SPECIFIC REGULATIONS REGARDING STEEL STORAGE CONTAINERS.
THEY'RE PERMITTED JUST AS ANY OTHER ACCESSORY STORAGE STRUCTURE.
AND THEN IN THE CITY OF SEDONA, THEY DO NOT ALLOW STEEL STORAGE CONTAINERS.
[LAUGHS] SO I JUST WANTED TO GIVE SOME EXAMPLES.
BROOKS COMPTON: BECCA, ONE QUICK QUESTION I FORGOT TO ASK.
HOW ARE YOU MEASURING THE SQUARE FOOTAGE? BECAUSE I RAN INTO THAT WITH DEVELOPMENT SERVICES AND BUILDINGS DOWN IN WICKENBURG.
ARE YOU MEASURING THE OUTSIDE OF THE CONTAINER OR THE INSIDE? BECCA SIRAKIS: THAT IS A GREAT QUESTION.
I KNOW THAT THEY'RE CONVENTIONALLY SOLD AS AN 8-BY-20 OR AN 8-BY-40.
SO WHEN THEY SAY IT'S AN 8-BY-20, THAT'S WHAT WE GO WITH, OR IF THEY SAY IT'S AN 8-BY-40.
BROOKS COMPTON: WELL, I WOULD WANT IT TO BE THE INTERIOR SQUARE FOOTAGE.
YOU'RE SMILING, COMMISSIONER CHERRY.
WHERE A BUILDING WAS SAID TO BE 1,500 SQUARE FEET.
IT WAS ACTUALLY 1,300 BECAUSE THEY'RE MEASURING THE THICKNESS OF THE WALLS AND THE OUTSIDE OF THE BUILDING VERSUS THE ACTUAL CONTAINER.
SO MY PREFERENCE WOULD BE THE ACTUAL INTERIOR SQUARE FOOTAGE OF WHATEVER STANDARD CARGO CONTAINER WIDTH WOULD BE.
YOU RUN INTO THAT AT HOME DEPOT, TOO, WHEN YOU WANT 400 SQUARE FEET AND YOU GET THERE AND WE'RE MEASURING THE OUTSIDE AND IT'S 418, BUT THE INSIDE'S 400.
CHRIS KUKNYO: CHAIR, WE DID ADDRESS THAT OR WE DID VISIT THAT ISSUE IN THE ADU AMENDMENT FOR THAT ORDINANCE IF YOU RECALL, BECCA.
CHRIS KUKNYO: AND SO THERE WAS TWO THOUGHT PROCESSES THERE.
AND I THINK EVENTUALLY WE SETTLED ON INTERIOR SQUARE FOOTAGE ON ADUS.
BECCA SIRAKIS: SPECIFICALLY ADUS.
CHRIS KUKNYO: WE'RE TALKING TWO DIFFERENT SUBJECTS HERE, ADUS VERSUS STORAGE CONTAINERS.
SO, I MEAN, DO WE EVEN NEED TO LIMIT THAT, OR DOES THAT EVEN NEED TO BE PART OF THE DISCUSSION-- LEAVE THAT PART OF THE ORDINANCE ALONE? BECCA SIRAKIS: THAT IS GOING TO BE A PART OF ONE OF MY QUESTIONS ON MY NEXT SLIDE, IS WHAT THE COMMISSION AND BOARD THINKS ABOUT OUR CURRENT REGULATIONS AND WHAT THEY WOULD LIKE TO SEE FOR THE HIGHER LEVEL REQUIREMENTS.
SO I HAVE, UP HERE ON THE SCREEN, A FEW OF THE MAIN REQUIREMENTS, AND THEN I WANTED TO MAYBE GET SOME DIRECTION ON WHAT YOU
[01:25:02]
GUYS WANTED TO SEE US CHANGE, IF ANYTHING.BROOKS COMPTON: IF WE DON'T SPELL IT OUT, INTERIOR, IT'S NOT SPELLED OUT.
I'M DEFINITELY GOING TO NOTE THAT.
SO-- SANDY GRIFFIS: COMMISSIONER.
BROOKS COMPTON: OH, I'M SORRY.
MICHAEL SCHUMACHER: SO I'M LOOKING AT THE-- UP THERE, IT SAYS, "ALLOW IN ALL ZONING DISTRICTS EXCEPT R1L." I KNOW FOR A FACT I CAN DRIVE AROUND YAVAPAI COUNTY AND ANY OLD SUBDIVISION, LIKE DIAMOND VALLEY, AND I SEE THESE CONTAINERS IN THEIR BACKYARDS.
SO HOW ARE YOU GOING TO ADDRESS THOSE? BROOKS COMPTON: DON'T TELL OUR NEXT PRESENTER THAT.
[LAUGHTER] SUPERVISOR MALLORY? MARY MALLORY: WELL, I APPRECIATE THE COMMENT, COMMISSIONER.
OF COURSE, THAT'S WHERE I GOT.
I MEAN, THAT'S BASICALLY WHY I'M HERE TODAY, AND WHAT HAPPENED HERE, AND WHAT DOES THIS LOOK LIKE.
AND WHEN YOU HAVE PEOPLE THAT ARE IN VIOLATION OR THEY'RE NOT FOLLOWING THE RULE BUT THEN, AGAIN, WE COMPLAIN ON SOMEBODY ELSE, THERE HAS TO BE SOME CONSISTENCY HERE.
I MEAN, IT'S GOT TO BE SOMETHING THAT IS TAKEN CARE OF BECAUSE THERE ARE MANY CONTAINERS THAT ARE NOT OK.
SO DO WE-- IT'S KIND OF LIKE-- REMEMBER WE HAD THE LIGHTS AND WE WERE GOING TO DO THE DARK SKY.
AND WHAT DO WE DO WITH ALL THE ONES THAT ARE NOT IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE NEW RULE THAT WE'RE GOING TO HAVE? ARE WE GOING TO GO OUT AND TELL ALL THESE PLACES THEY GOT TO TAKE DOWN THEIR LIGHTS, THE HANGING-- SO WE REALLY NEED-- I'M HOPING, FOR TODAY, THAT WE WALK AWAY WITH A GOOD DIRECTION AND RESOLVE AT LEAST THAT ONE.
SO I GUESS A FEW OF THE QUESTIONS I WANTED TO THROW OUT TO THE BOARD AND THE COMMISSION FOR THOUGHTS, IF YOU GUYS HAVE THE TIME TODAY, IS SHOULD-- I HEARD, FOR THE FIRST ONE, THEY'RE NOT ALLOWED IN R1L.
BUT I DID HEAR MAYBE WE WANT TO ALLOW THEM EVEN IN R1L IF THEY'RE ONLY ONE.
IS THAT SOMETHING WE WANT TO MOVE FORWARD WITH? MARY MALLORY: I'M SO SORRY.
I DON'T MEAN TO INTERRUPT-- BECCA SIRAKIS: OH, I'M SORRY.
MAYBE I NEED TO KNOW THE HISTORY.
WHY IS IT THAT THE DEPARTMENT CAME WITH THIS RULE? I DON'T KNOW THAT.
SO THAT MIGHT HELP ME UNDERSTAND.
I JUST KNOW THE RULE EXISTS, BUT I DON'T KNOW WHY IT WAS PICKED.
AND SO I WOULD-- THAT WOULD HELP MY EDUCATION.
SO I WASN'T HERE WHEN THAT HAPPENED.
I WASN'T PART OF THE DELIBERATIONS OR ANYTHING.
BUT I DO BELIEVE IT WAS JUST AESTHETICS.
AND R1L IS OUR MOST RESTRICTIVE ZONING DISTRICT.
IT'S OUR SITE-BUILT-ONLY ZONING DISTRICT.
SO I THINK THAT'S WHY IT WAS DETERMINED TO ALLOW THEM IN OTHER ZONING DISTRICTS THAT ALLOW FOR MANUFACTURED HOMES AND OTHER TYPES OF PREFABRICATED STRUCTURES BUT NOT R1L.
THAT JUST MIGHT BE IT, WHERE-- BROOKS COMPTON: MR. GARRISON? RANDALL GARRISON: I REALLY LIKE WHERE YOU STARTED THIS CONVERSATION.
I REALLY WOULD LIKE TO SEE US CREATE TWO DIFFERENT STANDARDS, STORAGE VERSUS-- I DON'T WANT TO CALL IT, LIVABLE.
BUT I DON'T KNOW HOW YOU WOULD OCCUPY IT.
LET'S GO THAT WAY, BECAUSE YOU DO HAVE PEOPLE TRYING TO USE THEM AS OFFICES.
I'M PERFECTLY FINE WITH THE ORDINANCE OTHER THAN MAYBE THE TWO-ACRE MINIMUM FOR STORAGE BECAUSE THE LAST THING YOU WANT TO SEE IS YOU WANT TO LIVE NEXT DOOR TO A NEIGHBOR WHO BUYS EIGHT OF THEM AND STICKS THEM ON HIS PROPERTY JUST FOR STORAGE.
BUT IF YOU'RE GOING TO USE THEM IN SOME TYPE OF A CONGREGATED MANNER WHERE YOU'RE TYING THEM TOGETHER, THEN YOU SHOULD GET TO THE POINT WITH THE AESTHETICS OR AT LEAST THE DESIGN OF THE PRODUCT, THAT YOU DON'T EVEN REALIZE HOW MANY UNITS ARE IN THAT STRUCTURE TO BEGIN WITH.
SO IT JUST- TO ME, IT SEEMS LIKE IT'D BE EASIER FOR EVERYBODY INVOLVED IF YOU SEPARATED STORAGE BECAUSE THESE ARE VERY EASY AND SIMPLE AND QUICK TO PUT ON YOUR PROPERTY FOR STORAGE VERSUS SOMEBODY ACTUALLY GOING THROUGH THE PROCESS OF MAKING AN OCCUPIED SERVICE.
CHRIS KUKNYO: I DON'T THINK THEY SHOULD BE USED AS A FENCE.
BUT I TAKE THE SQUARE FOOTAGE REQUIREMENTS NEED TO VARY WITH THE USE BECAUSE AT 400 FOOT, THAT'S ONE 40-FOOT CONTAINER.
SO YOU DO THAT ENGINEERED STRUCTURE.
THAT'S TWO 40S THAT ARE GOING IN THERE.
IF YOU STACK CONTAINERS, IF YOU MAKE A RESIDENCE, MAYBE THAT WOULD GO AWAY.
SO I THINK SQUARE FOOTAGE NEEDS TO VARY.
A TWO-ACRE MINIMUM REQUIREMENT-- I'M GOING WITH THE CHAIR ON THIS ONE.
MAYBE WE SAY ONE ACRE AND ALLOW 20S FOR STORAGE, BECAUSE IT'S NOT MUCH BIGGER THAN THE SHEDS THEY'RE SELLING
[01:30:02]
OUT THERE ALONG THE HIGHWAY.BROOKS COMPTON: VICE CHAIR? NIKKI CHECK: YEAH, SO I ALSO SUPPORT THE IDEA OF BREAKING IT OUT INTO STORAGE VERSUS A BUILDING COMPONENT, WHETHER THAT'S A BARN OR A RESIDENCE OR AN OFFICE.
AND I THINK THAT THE SQUARE FOOTAGE MAKES SENSE, CURRENTLY, FOR STORAGE, AND IT DOESN'T WHEN IT COMES TO THE OTHER TWO.
I'M NOT SURE WHAT IT WOULD TAKE TO MAKE STORAGE CONTAINER RESIDENCES COMPATIBLE IN AN R1L SCENARIO AS AN ADU, BUT I THINK THAT THERE'S GOING TO BE A DEMAND FOR THAT.
SO IT WOULD BEHOOVE US TO GET AHEAD OF THINKING THROUGH HOW CAN WE MAKE IT COMPATIBLE FROM A POLICY STANDPOINT.
AND I AGREE WITH THE ONE-ACRE MINIMUM, AND THE SETBACKS.
IT MAKES SENSE TO REMOVE THAT SIDE SETBACK IF IT'S USED AS A FENCE.
BUT IT SOUNDS LIKE THAT'S A PRETTY EXCEPTIONAL CASE THAT IT WOULD BE APPROPRIATE.
SO I'M OK LEAVING THAT OUT OF THE MAIN POLICY BODY.
BROOKS COMPTON: SUPERVISOR KUKNYO? CHRIS KUKNYO: SO YOU SUPPORT SETBACKS STILL? BECAUSE I DO ON THIS.
LIKE I SAID, EXCEPT FOR IF YOU'RE USING IT AS A FENCE, YOU WOULDN'T WANT A 5-FOOT GAP BETWEEN EACH ONE IF IT'S TRULY A FENCING COMPONENT.
BUT I THINK THAT ONE'S A LITTLE MUDDY FOR ME.
BROOKS COMPTON: BECCA? BECCA SIRAKIS: THANK YOU.
BROOKS COMPTON: ANY-- MICHAEL SCHUMACHER: YES.
MICHAEL SCHUMACHER: I'M USED TO LOOKING FOR THESE GREEN LIGHTS.
MICHAEL SCHUMACHER: SO I JUST WANT TO GET BACK TO THE R1L ZONING.
SO LIKE IN DIAMOND VALLEY, THERE'S AT LEAST A DOZEN OF THEM ALREADY THERE.
AND NOBODY'S COMPLAINING ABOUT THEM.
AND IF USED AS A STORAGE CONTAINER-- OR REGULAR STORAGE BUILDING, I DON'T SEE A PROBLEM WITH THEM IF THEY'RE PAINTED THE SAME COLOR AS THE STRUCTURE.
YOU CAN TELL I HAPPEN TO BE A PROPONENT OF-- YES.
COMMISSIONER BUCHANAN? LINDA BUCHANAN: I'M NOT SURE THAT THE ONE-ACRE MINIMUM SHOULD REALLY APPLY EITHER.
SOME OF THE SMALLER PROPERTIES HAVE THE HIGHEST NEED FOR CONTAINED STORAGE, AND MAYBE THERE COULD BE A LOT COVERAGE COMPONENT OR SOMETHING INSTEAD OF THE ONE-ACRE MINIMUM, BECAUSE I LIVE IN AN AREA WHERE THERE'S SO MANY QUARTER AND THIRD-ACRE LOTS, AND THEY'RE REALLY HAMPERED BY NOT BEING ABLE TO HAVE ADEQUATE STORAGE.
AND SO IT GETS MORE CLUTTERED, BASICALLY, WOULD BE A GOOD WAY TO SAY IT IF THEY AREN'T ABLE TO DO CONTAINED STORAGE.
SO I'D LIKE TO LOOK AT A LOT COVERAGE COMPONENT, POSSIBLY, IF IT WAS-- BROOKS COMPTON: I THINK THAT'S AN EXCELLENT IDEA BECAUSE YOU STRUGGLE WITH THE ONE-ACRE VERSUS A HALF, OR MY-- I BOUGHT IT, AND I'M 0.96.
SO I WOULD CERTAINLY SUPPORT THAT.
IN ADDRESSING YOUR ZONING ISSUE AS WELL, COMMISSIONER, TO WHERE A 20-FOOT ONE, LOT SQUARE FOOTAGE-WISE, COULD BE PUT ON ANY OF THE SMALLER PROPERTIES.
CHRIS KUKNYO: BECAUSE I HOPE WE DECIDE BECAUSE I'M GOING TO GET ONE.
I WANT TO PUT IN MY SIDE-BY-SIDE, MY TRACTOR, AND MY ATVS.
FOR $3,000? BROOKS COMPTON: YOU GOT A GIANT GARAGE ALREADY.
WHAT? BROOKS COMPTON: YOU GOT A GARAGE ALREADY.
MICHAEL SCHUMACHER: MR. CHAIR.
BROOKS COMPTON: YES, COMMISSIONER.
MICHAEL SCHUMACHER: SO YOU WOULD JUST BASE IT OFF THE SQUARE FOOTAGE FOR THE LOT, JUST LIKE ON A HOUSE, ON THE SMALLER PARCELS.
RAYMOND PAIZ: WELL, BUT IF WE DO THAT, IT BECOMES AN ENFORCEMENT ISSUE BECAUSE YOU'VE GOT THESE DENSITIES WITH THOSE SMALLER LOT PARCELS, THOSE SMALLER LOT COMMUNITIES.
NOW YOU'VE GOT 20 PARCELS WITH 20 CONTAINERS, AND THEY'RE ALL DIFFERENT.
HOW ARE YOU GOING TO ADDRESS THAT ISSUE? AGAIN, IT BECOMES A CODE ENFORCEMENT ISSUE FOR THEM.
IF WE'RE GOING TO REGULATE THEM AND WE'RE GOING TO PERMIT THEM ON SMALLER PROPERTIES BASED ON LOT COVERAGE, IT'S GOING TO CREATE MORE PROBLEMS THAT ARE GOING TO HAVE TO BE ENFORCED.
SO THAT'S-- BROOKS COMPTON: AND IT WOULD ALSO CREATE SOLUTIONS, TOO.
RAYMOND PAIZ: WHAT'S THAT? BROOKS COMPTON: IT ALSO CREATES SOLUTIONS.
BROOKS COMPTON: AND WE HAVE TO ADDRESS THIS.
THIS IS TIME FOR THIS TO BE ADDRESSED.
CHRIS KUKNYO: AND CHAIR, ONE THING WE HAVEN'T TALKED ABOUT IS I THINK WE NEED TO ADJUST OUR FEES TO LOOK AT THESE AS THEY'RE BEING USED.
I MEAN, IF THEY'RE BEING USED AS A SHED, I THINK IT SHOULD BE VERY MINIMAL ON WHAT YOU PUT IT DOWN.
IF IT'S BEING USED AS A RESIDENCE, DIFFERENT SHADE STRUCTURE, DIFFERENT FEE SCHEDULES ALREADY.
[01:35:01]
AND WHEN WE MADE KURT GO THROUGH THE SPECIAL USE PERMIT AND THAT COST HIM $750 ON A STRUCTURE THAT COST HIM-- WHAT IT COST YOU, $3,000? $3,500.SO IT'S JUST A HUGE COST TO GO THROUGH THAT PROCESS.
I THINK I'M HEARING THAT YOU GUYS WOULD BE AMENABLE TO MAYBE LOOKING INTO ALLOWING LIMITED STEEL STORAGE CONTAINERS IN R1L FOR STORAGE AND JUST TO MATCH HOW WE ALLOW TUFF SHEDS AND OTHER TYPES OF PREFAB IN R1L.
AND I GUESS THE ONE QUESTION IS, DO WE WANT TO STILL REQUIRE A MAX SQUARE FOOTAGE OR MAYBE JUST MOVE OVER TO A MAX NUMBER OF CONTAINERS, DEPENDING ON THE SIZE OF THE PROPERTY? OR LIKE LINDA-- OR MS-- SUPERVISOR-- I MEAN-- EXCUSE ME-- COMMISSIONER BUCHANAN SAID, OR JUST DO LOCK COVERAGE.
CHRIS KUKNYO: [INAUDIBLE] BECCA SIRAKIS: OK.
BROOKS COMPTON: YEAH, I WOULD CONCUR.
BECCA SIRAKIS: YEAH, AND THAT ENDS MY SLIDE-- JACOB ARMSTRONG: MIND IF I TAKE THIS REAL QUICK? BECCA SIRAKIS: YEAH, PLEASE.
JACOB ARMSTRONG: SO THANK YOU VERY MUCH, BECCA.
AND JUST IN CONCLUSION-- SO THIS IS A PERFECT EXAMPLE, GOING BACK TO THE STRATEGIC PLAN AND GETTING THE FEEDBACK WHERE WE'RE GOING TO DEVELOP A PROPOSAL BASED ON THE CONVERSATION.
WE'RE GOING TO RUN IT THROUGH AND THEN HOPEFULLY MOVE FORWARD WITH AN ORDINANCE AMENDMENT.
SO THIS WILL BE ONE OF THE TOP PRIORITIES SINCE WE'RE HERE, AND IT WILL HAVE A SCHEDULE VERY SOON.
WE'RE GOING TO TAKE A QUICK BREAK, BE BACK AT 10:46.
[4. Section 205 Ordinance Amendment on Code Enforcement & Administrative Updates – Non-Anonymous Code Enforcement - Presentation covering the transition from allowing anonymous complaints to a strictly non-anonymous structure through the execution of a Zoning Ordinance Amendment. Updates include requiring full complainant identification to eliminate the perception of arbitrary enforcement, formalizing field observation protocols, prohibiting informal verbal complaints, and aligning procedures for search warrants, public records (A.R.S. Title 39), and administrative hearings with due process standards. Presenter: Damian Campbell, Land Use Manager]
MOVING ON TO SECTION NUMBER FOUR, SECTION 205, ORDINANCE AMENDMENT ON CODE ENFORCEMENT AND ADMINISTRATIVE UPDATES IN REFERENCE TO ANONYMOUS COMPLAINTS.JACOB ARMSTRONG: CHAIR, WE HAVE DAMIAN CAMPBELL HERE, WHO'S VIRTUAL, SO HOPEFULLY, THIS GOES WELL.
BROOKS COMPTON: GOOD MORNING, DAMIAN.
DAMIAN CAMPBELL: GOOD MORNING, EVERYBODY.
CAN EVERYBODY HEAR ME OK? NIKKI CHECK: YES.
DAMIAN CAMPBELL: GOOD MORNING, MR. CHAIRMAN, MADAM VICE CHAIR, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD OF SUPERVISORS AND PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSIONERS.
MY NAME IS DAMIAN CAMPBELL, LAND USE UNIT MANAGER AND APPOINTED DEPUTY ZONING INSPECTOR WITH YAVAPAI COUNTY DEVELOPMENT SERVICES.
OUR PROPOSALS TODAY ARE STRAIGHTFORWARD, TO MODERNIZE OUR REGULATORY LANGUAGE, TO RESOLVE TWO ONGOING OPERATIONAL CHALLENGES ACROSS OUR 8,128-SQUARE-MILE JURISDICTION.
FIRST, FORMALLY REBRANDING OUR UNIT FROM LAND USE TO CODE COMPLIANCE AND SECOND, TRANSITIONING AWAY FROM OPEN, UNVERIFIED, ANONYMOUS COMPLAINT INTAKE TOWARD AN ACCOUNTABLE SYSTEM THAT ELIMINATES THE WEAPONIZATION OF COUNTY AUTHORITY AND CIVIL NEIGHBOR DISPUTES.
OUR PROPOSALS CENTER ON ESTABLISHING DEFINED STAFF ROLES AND AUDITABLE, TRANSPARENT ENFORCEMENT OPERATIONS.
UNDER OUR FIRST INITIATIVE, WE PROPOSE REPLACING THE TITLE LAND USE SPECIALIST WITH CODE COMPLIANCE SPECIALIST THROUGHOUT THE ZONING ORDINANCE.
THIS ELIMINATES PERSISTENT PUBLIC CONFUSION REGARDING WHAT OUR SPECIALISTS DO AND DIRECTLY TIES OUR REGULATORY STANDING UNDER ARIZONA REVISED STATUTE, SECTION 11-815.
UNDER OUR SECOND INITIATIVE, WE ARE PROPOSING A VERIFIED COMPLAINANT STANDARD FOR ALL CITIZEN-INITIATED ZONING COMPLAINTS, REQUIRING FULL NAME AND CONTACT INFORMATION ENSURES DIRECT ACCOUNTABILITY, PROVIDES STAFF THE ABILITY TO FOLLOW UP FOR NECESSARY CASE CLARIFICATION, AND PREVENTS COUNTY ENFORCEMENT FROM BEING USED AS A WEAPON IN PERSONAL NEIGHBOR DISPUTES.
MOST IMPORTANTLY, WE WANT TO ELIMINATE THE APPEARANCE OF ARBITRARY ENFORCEMENT.
SLIDE 3 ILLUSTRATES THE PRACTICAL COMMUNICATION FRICTION THAT OUR CURRENT TITLE CREATES EVERY SINGLE DAY.
MEMBERS OF THE PUBLIC FREQUENTLY MISTAKE OUR LAND USE SPECIALISTS OR LONG-RANGE LAND PLANNERS FOR BUILDING PERMIT REVIEWERS.
THIS MISDIRECTION DILUTES OUR FIELD ROLE, OBSCURES OUR STATUTORY INSPECTION DUTIES, AND CREATES IMMEDIATE FRICTION WHEN OUR SPECIALISTS KNOCK ON A DOOR TO ACHIEVE CONSTRUCTIVE, VOLUNTARY COMPLIANCE.
BY POTENTIALLY ADOPTING, CODE COMPLIANCE SPECIALIST, WE ESTABLISH A CLEAN, FUNCTIONAL SEPARATION BETWEEN LONG-RANGE PLANNING AND REGULATORY FIELD INSPECTIONS.
THIS REBRANDING WOULD MAKE OUR CORE DUTIES TRANSPARENT TO PROPERTY OWNERS, SPECIFICALLY CONDUCTING SITE INVESTIGATIONS AND ISSUING FORMAL NOTICES OF VIOLATION, WHILE BRINGING YAVAPAI COUNTY INTO UNIFORM ALIGNMENT WITH PEER JURISDICTIONS ACROSS ARIZONA.
WHEN WE LOOK AT THE STATEWIDE LANDSCAPE ON SLIDE 4, YAVAPAI COUNTY IS CURRENTLY AN OUTLIER.
14 OF THE 15 ARIZONA COUNTIES UTILIZE EITHER CODE COMPLIANCE
[01:40:02]
OR CODE ENFORCEMENT TO DESIGNATE THEIR FRONTLINE FIELD PERSONNEL.WHETHER YOU LOOK AT OUR IMMEDIATE RURAL NEIGHBORS, LIKE COCONINO, MOJAVE, OR GILA, OR LARGER COUNTIES, LIKE MARICOPA AND PIMA, THE INDUSTRY STANDARD ACROSS ARIZONA IS UNIFIED.
ALIGNING OUR NOMENCLATURE IS MORE THAN A COSMETIC UPDATE THAT ESTABLISHES REGIONAL CONSISTENCY FOR CONTRACTORS, DESIGN PROFESSIONALS, AND CITIZENS MOVING BETWEEN JURISDICTIONS.
IT ENSURES THAT WHEN THE PUBLIC, THE COURTS, AND OTHER AGENCIES INTERACT WITH OUR TEAM, OUR REGULATORY SCOPE IS IMMEDIATELY RECOGNIZED.
UNDER OUR CURRENT SYSTEM, OPEN, ANONYMOUS REPORTING ALLOWS INDIVIDUALS TO FILE BASELESS RETALIATORY COMPLAINTS WITH ZERO ACCOUNTABILITY.
THIS DRIVES COSTLY, TIME-CONSUMING INSPECTIONS AND LEAVES OUR ADMINISTRATIVE HEARING OFFICER WITH AN EVIDENTIARY DEFICIT WHEN AN ANONYMOUS COMPLAINT IS UNAVAILABLE TO PROVIDE CREDIBLE, CROSS-EXAMINABLE TESTIMONY.
UNDER THE PROPOSED STANDARDS, CITIZENS FILING COMPLAINTS MUST PROVIDE THEIR NAME, ADDRESS, PHONE NUMBER, CREATING AN AUDIBLE RECORD AND FILTERING OUT BAD-FAITH SUBMISSIONS.
MOST IMPORTANTLY, WE MAINTAIN A STRICT LIFE SAFETY EXEMPTION.
IF AN ANONYMOUS REPORT INVOLVES IMMINENT STRUCTURAL COLLAPSE, SEPTIC FAILURES, ENVIRONMENTAL HAZARDS, OR A STAFF OBSERVES A VIOLATION DIRECTLY IN THE FIELD, STAFF RETAINS FULL AUTHORITY TO INITIATE AN IMMEDIATE INVESTIGATION.
WITH OVER 8,100 SQUARE MILES TO COVER, AN AVERAGE VOLUME OF 02,000 CASES EACH YEAR, OUR TEAM MUST DEPLOY TAXPAYER RESOURCES WHERE THEY MATTER MOST.
WHEN OUR SPECIALISTS ARE TIED UP CHASING ANONYMOUS COMPLAINTS GENERATED BY BOUNDARY SPATS AND OTHER CIVIL DISPUTES, IT DRAINS VALUABLE TIME AND ADMINISTRATIVE CAPACITY.
TRANSITIONING TO A VERIFIED INTAKE MODEL REMOVES THE COUNTY FROM SERVING AS REFEREES IN CIVIL DISPUTES.
IT DIRECTLY FREES OUR STAFF TO REFOCUS ATTENTION ON EGREGIOUS COMMUNITY BLIGHT, CHRONIC UNPERMITTED COMMERCIAL OPERATIONS, UNSAFE BUILDING CONTRACTORS, AND REAL-TIME LIFE SAFETY OBSERVATIONS DURING FIELD TRANSIT.
THIS SLIDE BENCHMARKS INTAKE STANDARDS ACROSS ARIZONA COUNTIES.
PINAL COUNTY STRICTLY PROHIBITS ANONYMOUS COMPLAINTS, REQUIRING FULL CONTACT INFORMATION THAT REMAINS CONFIDENTIAL FROM THE VIOLATOR DURING INITIAL INQUIRY.
COCONINO COUNTY SIMILARLY REQUIRES A VERIFIED PORTAL ACCOUNT.
IT EXPLICITLY INFORMS THE PUBLIC THAT STAFF CANNOT RESPOND TO ANONYMOUS SUBMITTALS.
JURISDICTIONS SUCH AS SANTA CRUZ AND MOJAVE COUNTIES REQUIRE VERIFIED IDENTITY PRIOR TO INVESTIGATION, WHILE MARICOPA AND PIMA MANDATE STANDARDIZED TRACKING TO DISCOURAGE ANONYMOUS FILINGS.
YAVAPAI COUNTY REMAINS ONE OF THE FEW COUNTIES ACCEPTING UNVERIFIED TIPS ACROSS ALL INTAKE CHANNELS, AND ADOPTING A ZONING ORDINANCE AMENDMENT TO ADDRESS THE WEAPONIZATION OF OUR PROCESS BRINGS US INTO A STANDARD ALIGNMENT WITH OUR LARGER PEER COUNTY GOVERNMENTS.
THE TOWN OF DEWEY--HUMBOLDT ELIMINATED ANONYMOUS COMPLAINTS UNDER RESOLUTION 25-212, REQUIRING STANDARDIZED SUBMITTAL AND VERIFIED PROPERTY INTEREST.
SIMILARLY, THE CITY OF PRESCOTT, THE TOWN OF PRESCOTT VALLEY, AND CHINO VALLEY ALL REQUIRE VERIFIED COMPLAINANT CONTACT DETAILS THROUGH THEIR RESPECTIVE CITIZEN-REPORTING PORTALS.
RIGHT NOW, BECAUSE NEIGHBORING MUNICIPALITIES MOSTLY RESTRICT ANONYMOUS REPORTING, OUR DEPARTMENT FREQUENTLY RECEIVES RETALIATORY COMPLAINTS THAT SPILL OVER JURISDICTIONAL BOUNDARIES.
MODERNIZING OUR INTAKE CRITERIA CREATES REGIONAL HARMONY ACROSS THE QUAD CITY AREA.
ON THE LEFT OF THE SLIDE, OUR CURRENT SYSTEM FOSTERS ADMINISTRATIVE CONFUSION, LEAVES COUNTY PERSONNEL VULNERABLE TO WEAPONIZED COMPLAINTS, CONSUMES FIELD TIME ON UNFOUNDED DISPUTES, AND CREATES EVIDENTIARY VOIDS DURING ADMINISTRATIVE HEARINGS.
ON THE RIGHT, OUR PROPOSED MODERNIZED MODEL ESTABLISHES ROLE CLARITY, VERIFIABLE RECORDS, AND FOCUSED ENFORCEMENT ON SEVERE BLIGHT AND SAFETY HAZARDS.
MOST IMPORTANTLY, IT PROTECTS CONSTITUTIONAL DUE PROCESS BEFORE A HEARING OFFICER BY ENSURING THAT FORMAL ENFORCEMENT ACTIONS REST ON CREDIBLE, DEFENSIBLE EVIDENCE AND IDENTIFIABLE COMPLAINANTS.
IN CONCLUSION, OUR PROPOSALS FOR REBRANDING OUR ENFORCEMENT UNIT TO CODE COMPLIANCE CLARIFIES OUR REGULATORY ROLE TO THE PUBLIC WHILE ESTABLISHING VERIFIED COMPLAINT INTAKE SAFEGUARDS.
COUNTY RESOURCES FROM NEIGHBOR DISPUTES, PROTECTS OUR INVESTIGATORS AND REFOCUSES OUR TIME ON EGREGIOUS
[01:45:01]
BLIGHT AND UNPERMITTED CONSTRUCTION ACROSS OUR 8,128 SQUARE MILES.MR. CHAIRMAN, MADAM VICE CHAIR, MEMBERS OF THE BOARD, AND PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSIONERS, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR YOUR LEADERSHIP AND YOUR TIME THIS MORNING.
I'M EAGER TO ANSWER ANY QUESTIONS REGARDING THIS PROPOSED ORDINANCE AMENDMENT.
BROOKS COMPTON: SUPERVISOR KUKNYO? CHRIS KUKNYO: YEAH, THANK YOU, CHAIR.
YEAH, I'VE BEEN PUSHING FOR THIS FOR A LONG TIME, AND I THINK IT'S REALLY NECESSARY.
WHEN I GOT TALKING WITH STAFF, THEY SAID THAT 60% TO 70% OF THEIR CALLS ARE ANONYMOUS, WHICH REALLY EATS UP THE CLOCK.
AND SOME OF OUR RESIDENTS ARE FEELING HARASSED BECAUSE THEY'RE ALLOWED TO BE THROUGH ANONYMOUS COMPLAINTS.
WE HAD A CONSTITUENT IN PAULDEN THAT HAD OUR STAFF OUT TO HIS PROPERTY OVER AND OVER.
THEY NEVER FOUND A TRUE VIOLATION.
AND REALLY, IT'S JUST SOMEBODY THAT DOESN'T HAVE ANYTHING BETTER TO DO THAN TELL ON THEIR NEIGHBOR FOR SOMETHING THAT'S NOT EVEN HAPPENING.
AND I REALLY DON'T LIKE WEAPONIZING STAFF TO PIT NEIGHBOR AGAINST NEIGHBOR.
IN SOME OF THESE OUTLYING AREAS, IT'S NOT ONLY NOT GOOD POLICY BUT IT'S DANGEROUS FOR THEM.
AND A LOT OF THESE ARE FRIVOLOUS.
YOU SAW ABOUT THE, CURRENTLY, SEVEN COUNTIES ALLOW ANONYMOUS, SEVEN THAT DON'T.
AND IT'S A MATTER OF PUBLIC SAFETY IF THEY TRULY HAVE A FEAR.
WE GOT THE SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT.
AND THIS ALLOWS, ALSO, FOR FOLLOW-UP BECAUSE NOW, WHEN SOMEONE HAS TO PUT THEIR NAME ON IT, THEY GOT TO GIVE YOU THEIR CONTACT INFORMATION, THEIR PHONE NUMBER, AND IT GOES LIKE THAT.
AND I JUST LOOK TO THE CONSTITUTION-- AND I KNOW THIS IS FOR CRIMINAL, BUT THE SIXTH AMENDMENT SAYS YOU HAVE THE RIGHT TO BE FACED WITH YOUR ACCUSER.
YOU SHOULDN'T JUST HAVE AN ANONYMOUS COMPLAINT GO IN.
AND THE REBRANDING OF STAFF TITLE? I THINK THAT'S A GREAT IDEA, DAMIAN.
BROOKS COMPTON: VICE CHAIR? NIKKI CHECK: THANK YOU.
I CONCUR, I THINK THIS IS REALLY AN IMPORTANT FACTOR.
I REALLY WANT TO MAKE SURE THAT YAVAPAI COUNTY, IN AN ENVIRONMENT OF CONSTRAINED RESOURCES, IS FOCUSED ON SOLVING ACTUAL PROBLEMS INSTEAD OF PERCEIVED PROBLEMS. AND THIS BRINGS THE CONTEXT THAT YOU REALLY NEED TO SEPARATE OUT PRIORITIES AND FOCUS OUR EFFORTS.
SO I'M 100% IN SUPPORT OF THIS.
I LOVE THE TERM, COMPLIANCE SPECIALIST.
AND I'M REALLY EXCITED TO BRING YAVAPAI COUNTY UP TO SOME OF THE STANDARDS THAT HAVE BEEN EXPLORED BY OTHER COUNTIES.
BROOKS COMPTON: SUPERVISOR MALLORY? MARY MALLORY: THANK YOU, CHAIR.
YEAH, I ABSOLUTELY SUPPORT THIS.
I'M GOING TO GUESS THIS HAS ALWAYS BEEN THIS WAY IN YAVAPAI COUNTY.
IS THIS ONE OF THE VERY OLD, MAYBE ORDINANCES WE'VE HAD HERE, THAT WE DON'T HAVE PEOPLE OWN THEIR WORDS? JACOB ARMSTRONG: SUPERVISOR, THAT WAS ONE OF THE FIRST QUESTIONS I ASKED DAMIAN.
IS THIS THE WAY IT'S ALWAYS BEEN, AND WHY, RIGHT, DAMIAN? DAMIAN CAMPBELL: YES, EVERYBODY.
WE HAVE NOT ADOPTED A FORMAL PROCESS YET FOR FILING CODE COMPLAINTS.
ONCE UPON A TIME, WE WERE ACTUALLY PART OF THE PLANNING UNIT, AND THEN THAT SUBDIVIDED INTO LAND USE.
AND WE'RE JUST GROWING AS A DEPARTMENT AND AS A COUNTY, AND WE'RE TRYING TO MAKE THIS MORE STANDARDIZED AND SYSTEMATIC.
BROOKS COMPTON: SUPERVISOR JENKINS? OH, I'M SORRY, MARY.
MARY MALLORY: OH, I JUST WAS GOING TO SAY, THANK YOU VERY MUCH FOR THAT, DAMIAN, AND I CAN'T AGREE MORE.
CODE ENFORCEMENT IS VERY CLEAR.
BROOKS COMPTON: SUPERVISOR JENKINS? DEE JENKINS: I ABSOLUTELY SUPPORT THE COMPLIANCE, BECAUSE THAT REALLY SHOULD BE THE GOAL IS TO GET PEOPLE IN COMPLIANCE, NOT JUST ENFORCEMENT.
THE ANONYMOUS IS A FUNNY SITUATION THAT I CAN SHARE WITH-- WHERE I LIVE, YOU DO GIVE YOUR NAME, AND YOU DO GIVE YOUR ADDRESS.
BUT IF YOU GO IN FOR A RECORDS REQUEST, IF THE COMPLAINING PARTY DOESN'T WANT THEIR NAME BECAUSE THEY HAVE SOME KIND OF FEAR, THEY WILL BLACK OUT THEIR NAME SO THAT IT LOOKS LIKE IT WAS ANONYMOUS, BUT THEY FORGET TO BLOCK OUT THE ADDRESS, SO.
[LAUGHTER] AND I'VE THOUGHT ABOUT THIS, BECAUSE WE HAD THE SITUATION THAT I'VE ADDRESSED, IN MY PREVIOUS JOB, ABOUT THE ANONYMOUS.
YOU COULD GO BOTH WAYS, BUT I'M GOING TO SUPPORT WHAT YOU'RE SAYING BECAUSE WE HAVE-- I GET A LOT OF COMPLAINTS ON CODE COMPLIANCE BECAUSE YOU'RE SO BACKLOGGED.
IT TAKES SO LONG FOR THESE TO GET THROUGH THE SYSTEM.
AND WHAT I'M HEARING-- A LOT OF THAT IS ATTRIBUTED TO SO MANY ANONYMOUS COMPLAINTS.
IF WE COULD REDUCE IT SO THAT YOU'RE FOCUSING ON REAL COMPLAINTS, WE CAN GET THEM THROUGH THE SYSTEM FASTER AND RESOLVE THEM.
AND BY FAR, THE MAJORITY IS WEEDS-- AT LEAST FOR ME, IT'S WEEDS AND DEBRIS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
[01:50:02]
AND I HAVE SOME THAT ARE FOUR AND FIVE YEARS IN THE SYSTEM, AND THEY'VE BEEN DIRECTED TO THE LEGAL DEPARTMENT NOW.WE NEED TO HAVE WAYS THAT YOU CAN EFFECTIVELY TAKE CARE OF THIS MUCH SOONER AND JUST PROCESS THE REAL PROBLEMS. SO DAMIAN, I SUPPORT YOU IN THIS.
AND THANK YOU FOR BRINGING IT TO US BECAUSE THIS IS ANOTHER IMPROVEMENT IN THE DEPARTMENT, THAT WE'RE GOING TO RESPOND TO OUR CONSTITUENTS IN A TIMELY MANNER.
BROOKS COMPTON: ANYBODY ON PLANNING AND ZONING? SANDY GRIFFIS: THANK YOU, CHAIR.
DAMIAN, THANK YOU FOR YOUR PRESENTATION.
BASED ON FORWARD MOMENTUM OF THIS CHANGE OF ORDINANCE, WHEN DO YOU SEE ITS IMPLEMENTATION? DAMIAN CAMPBELL: THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER GRIFFIS, FOR THAT QUESTION.
JACOB AND I ARE ACTIVELY WORKING SIDE BY SIDE.
WE HAVE BEEN FOR SEVERAL MONTHS NOW.
I ALREADY HAVE A SOP LOCKED AND LOADED, READY TO GO, OUTLINING OUR PROCESS TO DO THAT.
SO THE FIRST STEP WAS TO COME TO THIS JOINT SESSION TO ENTERTAIN THE IDEA, BUT WE'RE READY TO GO.
JACOB ARMSTRONG: AND CHAIR GRIFFIS, I'LL JUST ADD TO DAMIAN.
SO BASICALLY, IT WAS WAITING FOR THE JOINT SESSION AND GETTING THE FEEDBACK, AND THEN WE WERE GOING TO HIT GO.
BROOKS COMPTON: SUPERVISOR BUCHANAN? LINDA BUCHANAN: THANK YOU.
AND I HAD THE GOOD FORTUNE OF WORKING WITH MR. CAMPBELL IN A VERY UNFORTUNATE CODE COMPLIANCE CASE IN DISTRICT 2, WHERE, BECAUSE IT WAS AN ANONYMOUS COMPLAINANT, I, AS A HIGHER PROFILE PLANNING AND ZONING COMMISSIONER, BECAME THE TARGET OF THIS INDIVIDUAL.
IT ACTUALLY DID ESCALATE TO THE YAVAPAI COUNTY SHERIFF'S OFFICE BECAUSE HE FELT THAT PLANNING AND ZONING WAS THE RESPONSIBLE PARTY FOR WHY HE WAS BEING BROUGHT INTO COMPLIANCE.
SO MR. CAMPBELL AND HIS STAFF AND YCSO DID A GREAT JOB HANDLING THAT.
BUT IT CAN BE SCARY, IN A SMALL RURAL COMMUNITY, TO MAKE EVEN A LEGITIMATE COMPLAINT.
SOME PEOPLE WHO DON'T BELIEVE IN CODE COMPLIANCE HENCE DON'T BELIEVE IN COMPLIANCE IN A LOT OF OTHER WAYS AS WELL.
I AM CURIOUS IF WE HAVE THE CAPACITY, IF IT'S LAWFUL, TO SEND A DRONE OUT TO FIRST EXAMINE-- ESPECIALLY IF IT'S A LARGER PROPERTY OR SOMETHING.
DOES IT ALWAYS HAVE TO BE A DIRECT STAFF VISIT? BROOKS COMPTON: JACOB? JACOB ARMSTRONG: DAMIAN, DID YOU HEAR THAT QUESTION? DAMIAN CAMPBELL: I DID, AND THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER BUCHANAN, FOR THAT.
WHEN WE INITIATE A CODE VIOLATION INVESTIGATION, IT'S IN OUR BEST INTEREST TO PUT OUR OWN EYES AND BOOTS ON THE GROUND AT THAT PROPERTY TO VERIFY WHETHER OR NOT THERE IS A VIOLATION.
EVEN IF THERE'S NOT, WE ABSOLUTELY WANT TO DOCUMENT AND ARTICULATE THAT WE WENT OUT THERE, WE DID OUR JOB, WE PUT EYES ON IT, AND WE VERIFIED WHETHER IT WAS OR WAS NOT A VIOLATION.
SO ANY VIOLATION OR COMPLAINT THAT IS SUBMITTED, MYSELF OR MY TEAM-- WE WILL PHYSICALLY GO OUT THERE AND VERIFY WHETHER OR NOT THERE IS A VIOLATION.
AND SOMETIMES THE PUBLIC JUST-- THEY NEED TO BE SIMPLY JUST EDUCATED ON WHAT THEY CAN AND CAN'T DO.
A LOT OF FOLKS CAN UNDERSTAND THIS.
WHEN YOU BUY A HOME, NOBODY HANDS YOU A MANUAL ON WHAT YOU CAN AND CAN'T DO.
AND BEING A REPRESENTATIVE OF YAVAPAI COUNTY, IT'S MY JOB TO MAKE SURE MYSELF AND MY TEAM-- WE ARTICULATE WHAT THE VIOLATION IS AND COME TO A JOINT AGREEMENT.
WE'RE REPRESENTATIVES FOR YAVAPAI COUNTY, AND THAT'S HOW WE WANT TO TREAT THE PUBLIC AS SUCH, EDUCATING THEM ON WHAT THE VIOLATION IS AND HOW TO BRING THEM INTO COMPLIANCE.
LINDA BUCHANAN: I THINK THAT COMPLIANCE TITLE REALLY WORKS WELL.
IT INDICATES THAT THE GOOD WORK LIES AHEAD AND IT'S POSSIBLE TO COME, AND I FAVOR THAT OVER THE ENFORCEMENT THAT OTHER COUNTIES ARE USING.
BROOKS COMPTON: SUPERVISOR KUKNYO? CHRIS KUKNYO: CHAIR, TELL ME IF I'M WRONG ON THIS, BUT WE CAN'T EVEN USE SATELLITE IMAGERY FOR CODE COMPLIANCE.
AND A DRONE-- I THINK YOU JUST HAVE TO SAY, PULL, BEFORE YOU SEND IT OVER SOMEBODY'S PROPERTY.
SO I DON'T KNOW WHERE THAT FALLS INTO PLACE USING THAT KIND OF ENFORCEMENT.
JACOB ARMSTRONG: DAMIAN, I'D BE CURIOUS, FROM YOUR EXPERIENCE IN THE DRONE WORLD AND IN AREAS WHERE WE COULD VISIBLY SEE BUT NOT NECESSARILY BE ON SITE.
SUPERVISOR KUKNYO, THANK YOU FOR THAT QUESTION.
WE HAVE SOME STAFF WITHIN THE FLOOD CONTROL DISTRICT-- THEY DO UTILIZE DRONES, AND IT'S TYPICALLY FOR TOPOGRAPHY.
AND SOME OF THE VIOLATIONS THAT I HAVE WORKED, SPECIFICALLY IN THE VERDE VALLEY--
[01:55:02]
WE HAVE ASKED FOR DRONE SITUATIONS FOR TOPOGRAPHY AND SUCH.BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE'RE LOOKING FOR VIOLATIONS FROM PUBLIC RIGHT OF WAY AND OUR MOST LEGAL ACCESS POINT.
THERE ARE SITUATIONS WHERE THE TERRAIN WOULD ALLOW SOMEBODY TO SEE A VIOLATION MAYBE IN THEIR NEIGHBOR'S BACKYARD BECAUSE THEY'RE JUST A LITTLE BIT HIGHER.
BUT AT THE END OF THE DAY, WE'RE TAKING FROM A BOOTS-ON-THE-GROUND PERSPECTIVE.
AND WHEN IT COMES TO USING DRONE FOOTAGE, THAT OPENS UP A WHOLE DIFFERENT LEGAL END OF THINGS AND CERTIFICATIONS FROM THE FAA, SUCH AS A PART 107.
AND WE'RE JUST NOT AT THAT POINT YET.
ANY OTHER COMMENTS FROM-- CERTAINLY, MR. CHAIR.
DON CHERRY: THIS IS A NATURAL PROGRESSION, I THINK, TO GET AWAY FROM ANONYMOUS COMPLAINTS.
CERTAINLY, IN THE EARLIER DAYS OF SOCIAL MEDIA AND WHATNOT, THERE WAS UNREGULATED COMMENTING ON PEOPLE'S POSTS AND THINGS LIKE THAT.
THEY COULD SAY WHATEVER THEY WANT.
THEY COULD HIDE BEHIND A USER NAME THAT WASN'T APPROPRIATE OR SOMETHING LIKE THAT.
I THINK THIS MAKES GOOD SENSE TO ME.
TO ME, I'M GOING TO MAKE THE ASSUMPTION THAT THIS WILL REDUCE COMPLAINTS THAT HAVE TO BE LOOKED AT.
BUT HAS THERE BEEN ANY FEEDBACK FROM OTHER AGENCIES THAT HAVE ALREADY IMPLEMENTED THIS THAT IT DOES REDUCE COMPLAINTS? JACOB ARMSTRONG: DAMIAN, I BELIEVE YOU'VE HAD SOME CONVERSATIONS WITH OTHER JURISDICTIONS, CORRECT? DAMIAN CAMPBELL: YES, COMMISSIONER CHERRY, I AM ON THE ARIZONA CODE ENFORCEMENT ASSOCIATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS, AND I HAVE A PRETTY FAR REACH WITH OTHER JURISDICTIONS.
AS FAR AS OUR NEIGHBORS HERE IN YAVAPAI COUNTY, THEY'RE STILL EXPLORING IT.
THE ONE JURISDICTION THAT FINALLY DID DO THEIR RESOLUTION WAS THAT 25-212 OUT OF DEWEY-HUMBOLDT.
THEY HAVE A VERY NICE COMPLAINT REPORTING SYSTEM.
WE'D LIKE TO MODEL IT AFTER THAT.
AND POTENTIALLY-- I'M NOT WORRIED ABOUT THE EGREGIOUS BLIGHT.
THAT STUFF WILL REPORT ITSELF.
I'M JUST TRYING TO ALLOW OUR STAFF A LITTLE BIT MORE TIME TO HIT THOSE ITEMS. AND DURING THE PREVIOUS PRESENTATION, I DID HEAR WHERE PEOPLE ARE SAYING THEY'RE SEEING SHIPPING CONTAINERS IN R1L ZONING.
AND WE WOULD LOVE TO ADDRESS STUFF LIKE THAT AS SOON AS WE GET A STANDARDIZED REPORTING SYSTEM FOR COMPLAINTS UNDERWAY.
JACOB ARMSTRONG: DAMIAN, DID ANY OF THEM REPORT THE VIOLATIONS GOING DOWN STATISTICALLY? DID THEY HAVE STATISTICS? DAMIAN CAMPBELL: NO, AND ONE OF THE OBSTACLES THAT WE HAD WITH CITIZENSERVE IS YOU HAVE THE OPTION TO REPORT, ANONYMOUS OR NOT.
HOWEVER, THAT METRIC WAS NOT BUILT INTO THAT SYSTEM.
NOW, WITH OPENGOV, I BELIEVE THAT METRIC IS SUBMITTED-- IT'S PLACED IN THERE.
AND WHEN THE APPLICANT OR, IN THIS CASE, THE COMPLAINANT FILES A COMPLAINT, THEY CAN CHOOSE ANONYMOUS OR NOT, AND THAT SHOULD GIVE US A GOOD METRIC JUST FOR YAVAPAI COUNTY.
BUT AS FAR AS THE OTHER JURISDICTIONS, THEY DID SEE SOMEWHAT OF A DECREASE IN SOME OF THEIR FRIVOLOUS COMPLAINTS.
BUT WE WILL STILL GET COMPLAINTS, REGARDLESS.
BROOKS COMPTON: COMMISSIONER CHERRY? DON CHERRY: THANK YOU.
YOU, SIR? MICHAEL SCHUMACHER: YES, I SUPPORT EVERYTHING YOU'RE DOING RIGHT NOW, BUT I'M CURIOUS-- IS IT GOING TO BE A PROACTIVE CODE ENFORCEMENT, LIKE PRESCOTT VALLEY HAS, WITH AN OFFICER DRIVING AROUND LOOKING FOR VIOLATIONS? DAMIAN CAMPBELL: WE DEFINITELY WANT TO EXPLORE THAT.
AND ONE OF THE OBSTACLES THAT WE DO ENCOUNTER IS WHEN WE GO TO A PROPERTY THAT IS IN VERY DISREPAIR OR IT'S A HOARD-TYPE SITUATION, WHEN YOU HAVE TO DRIVE BY 10 OTHER PROPERTIES THAT ARE THE SAME IF NOT WORSE, AND THE PROPERTY OWNER ASKS US, WHY IS THAT HIS PLACE, WE DON'T REALLY HAVE A GOOD REASON TO TELL THEM WHY BECAUSE THAT'S WHY OUR ENFORCEMENT PROCESS APPEARS ARBITRARY AS IT'S ALREADY ESTABLISHED.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE DO WANT TO CHANGE.
BROOKS COMPTON: SUPERVISOR JENKINS? DEE JENKINS: I HEAR WHAT YOU'RE SAYING, DAMIAN.
SO IF YOU'RE OUT AND YOU SEE SOMETHING, I AGREE WITH THAT.
BUT WHAT I DON'T AGREE IS DRIVING AROUND LOOKING FOR SOMETHING.
JACOB ARMSTRONG: IT'S STILL A COMPLAINT-BASED, CORRECT? DAMIAN CAMPBELL: MM-HMM.
BROOKS COMPTON: CHAIR? YES, RAY.
RAYMOND PAIZ: FOR DAMIAN AND JACOB, DO WE HAVE A METRIC THAT THEY'RE GOING TO FOLLOW FOR FRIVOLOUS COMPLAINTS? WILL IT BE MULTIPLE? WILL IT BE, WE'VE GONE OUT THERE AND SEEN IT? THAT'S AN INSPECTION ANYWAYS, FOLLOWING ON WITH A COMPLAINT.
JACOB ARMSTRONG: THAT'S A VERY GOOD QUESTION.
HAVE WE THOUGHT ABOUT THAT, DAMIAN, IN TERMS OF WHAT DEFINES FRIVOLOUS AT WHAT POINT? DAMIAN CAMPBELL: YES, THANK YOU, COMMISSIONER PAIZ.
WELL, AND WHEN IT COMES TO THE GENERAL PUBLIC,
[02:00:01]
SOMETIMES THEY DON'T THINK THEIR COMPLAINTS ARE FRIVOLOUS, AND THEY WANT TO SIMPLY BE HEARD, OR MAYBE WE CAN JUST EXPLAIN TO THEM WHY IT ISN'T A COMPLAINT OR A VIOLATION IN THEIR CASE.SO WE UNDERSTAND, BASICALLY, THAT SOME FOLKS WILL BE A LITTLE RELUCTANT TO FILE A COMPLAINT, BUT AT THE SAME TIME, THEY STILL HAVE THAT METHOD AND THAT PROCESS TO FILE ONE WITH US.
AND WE WILL TAKE A LOOK AT IT.
FOR ME, I MEAN, I CERTAINLY SUPPORT IT.
I MEAN, GETTING RID OF THE ANONYMOUS COMPLAINT-- THE AMOUNT OF TIME AND ENERGY AND MONEY SPENT ON STAFF CHASING THESE THINGS IN MY DISTRICT ALONE.
IT'S JUST-- IT'S IMPERATIVE THAT WE DO THIS.
AND IN TERMS OF THE-- WELL, I'LL JUST SAY THAT I SUPPORT IT.
I DON'T NEED TO GET ANY LENGTHY ON THAT.
IT'S PRETTY OBVIOUS FOR ME WHERE I AM.
ANY OTHER COMMENTS, REFERENCE? YES, COMMISSIONER BUCHANAN.
LINDA BUCHANAN: WELL, SINCE WE'RE WORDSMITHING A LITTLE BIT-- AND MAYBE FRIVOLOUS IS A LEGAL STANDARD THAT WE HAVE TO ADHERE TO.
BUT COULD IT BE A NON-THRESHOLD COMPLAINT? AT LEAST THEN THE COMPLAINER KNOWS THAT YOU CONSIDERED IT AND IT DIDN'T REACH THE THRESHOLD.
THAT DOESN'T NECESSARILY EQUATE TO FRIVOLOUS, BUT IT'S NOT ACTIONABLE.
OUR P&Z COUNSEL KEEPS ME OUT OF A LOT OF TROUBLE, BUT IS, FRIVOLOUS, A LEGAL STANDARD THAT WE HAVE TO-- NOW THEY'RE TALKING IN THE BACK BECAUSE-- BROOKS COMPTON: MR. BRENNAN, IS FRIVOLOUS A LEGAL STANDARD? MARTIN BRENNAN: YES, IT IS.
IT LACKS ANY MERIT IN FACT OR LAW.
AND YOU COULD-- THE DEFINITION WOULD BE SOMETHING ALONG THOSE LINES.
BROOKS COMPTON: SO IN REFERENCE TO, FRIVOLOUS, I MEAN, I'M SURE THE OTHER SUPERVISORS-- I KNOW I DO.
WE KNOW WHAT THE FRIVOLOUS COMPLAINTS ARE.
IT'S ALL OF US WORKING TOGETHER AND COMMUNICATING.
I'LL CALL JACOB AND SAY, LISTEN.
SO IT COMES TO OUR OFFICES ON A REGULAR BASIS.
BUT I APPRECIATE THE COMMENT AND THE QUESTION.
ANYTHING ELSE? CHRIS KUKNYO: AND CHAIR-- BROOKS COMPTON: YES, SIR.
CHRIS KUKNYO: --WHATEVER CALLS I GET, MY FIRST QUESTION IS ALWAYS, HAVE YOU TALKED WITH YOUR NEIGHBOR? AND I WOULD SAY HALF THE TIME, THE ANSWER IS NO.
BY SENDING US OUT THERE IS NOT GOING TO HELP THE RELATIONSHIP WITH YOUR NEIGHBOR WHATSOEVER.
OK, DAMIAN, THANK YOU VERY MUCH.
AND WE'LL JUST MOVE ON TO ITEM--
[5. Environmental Update - Presentation covering cesspool fundamentals, active Northern Arizona Council of Governments / Arizona Department of Environmental Quality grant structures, current expenditures, and remaining fund balances. Presenter: Elliott Dominguez, Environmental Unit Senior]
DAMIAN CAMPBELL: THANK YOU, EVERYBODY.ELLIOTT DOMINGUEZ: GOOD MORNING, CHAIR COMPTON, VICE CHAIR CHECK, CHAIR GRIFFIS, BOARDS.
THANK YOU FOR HAVING ME HERE TODAY.
MY NAME IS ELLIOTT DOMINGUEZ, AND I AM THE SENIOR ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH SPECIALIST WITH THE YAVAPAI COUNTY ENVIRONMENTAL UNIT.
TODAY, I AM HERE TO PROVIDE AN UPDATE ON THE ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY CESSPOOL INVENTORY AND THE NORTHERN ARIZONA COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS CESSPOOL ABATEMENT GRANTS IN YAVAPAI COUNTY.
TO BEGIN WITH, I'D LIKE TO FIRST DEFINE WHAT A CESSPOOL IS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE LOOK AT THEM HERE TODAY.
A CESSPOOL IS AN UNDERGROUND SYSTEM FOR DISPOSING OF SANITARY WASTE.
NOW, A CESSPOOL CAPTURES SANITARY WASTE, BUT IT DOES NOT TREAT IT.
IN THIS INSTANCE, TREATMENT IS THE REMOVAL OF PATHOGENS.
WHEN WE COMPARE CESSPOOLS TO PERMITTED WASTEWATER SYSTEMS, WE SEE THEY ARE FUNDAMENTALLY DIFFERENT BECAUSE PERMITTED WASTEWATER SYSTEMS ARE DESIGNED TO TREAT WASTE.
WHEN WE LOOK AT THE DIAGRAM HERE ON THE RIGHT, WE COULD SEE THAT THE SANITARY WASTE GOES INTO CESSPOOLS, BUT THEN IS FREE TO LEACH OUT OF THE PERFORATED SIDES, PROVIDING NO TREATMENT.
SO WHY CESSPOOLS? WHY ARE WE FOCUSED ON THEM HERE IN YAVAPAI COUNTY? I THINK CESSPOOLS PRESENT TO US THREE HEALTH RISKS HERE IN YAVAPAI COUNTY.
THE FIRST IS ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH.
AND THE LAST IS ECONOMIC HARMS. WHEN WE FIRST LOOK AT ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH, CESSPOOLS ARE KNOWN TO POLLUTE GROUNDWATER.
AND IN AREAS WITH LITTLE GROUNDWATER RESOURCES, SUCH AS NORTHERN ARIZONA, IT'S IMPORTANT THAT WE PROTECT THESE BY BEING PROACTIVE WITH CESSPOOL ABATEMENT.
THE SECOND ISSUE IS PUBLIC HEALTH.
CESSPOOLS ARE KNOWN TO TRANSMIT ILLNESSES, DISEASES, AND THEY PRESENT A FALLING RISK.
WE LOOK TO OTHER STATES WHERE WE SEE OUTBREAKS OF DIFFERENT VIRUSES CAUSED SPECIFICALLY BY CESSPOOLS AND FAILING SEPTIC SYSTEMS.
[02:05:01]
THE THIRD ISSUE ARE ECONOMIC HARMS. CESSPOOLS ARE KNOWN TO LOWER PROPERTY VALUES, AND THEY LIMIT BUSINESS GROWTH IN AREAS WITH HIGH DENSITIES OF CESSPOOLS OR UNPERMITTED SEPTIC SYSTEMS. HERE IN ARIZONA, CESSPOOLS HAVE BEEN BANNED SINCE 1976.HOWEVER, THERE IS AN ESTIMATED 30,000 TO 90,000 CESSPOOLS THAT REMAIN IN THE STATE, INCLUDING OVER 100 CESSPOOLS THAT ARE ESTIMATED IN ASH FORK AND SELIGMAN ALONE, ACCORDING TO A NOVEMBER 2025 ENGINEERING STUDY BY MATRIX NEW WORLD ENGINEERING CONSULTANTS.
THIS STUDY LED TO THE QUESTION OF US IN THE ENVIRONMENTAL UNIT ASKING, HOW MANY CESSPOOLS ARE IN YAVAPAI COUNTY? WHAT IS THE SCOPE OF OUR ISSUE? AND SO THAT LED US TO APPLY FOR THE ARIZONA DEPARTMENT OF ENVIRONMENTAL QUALITY GRANT, WHICH WAS A $40,000 GRANT THAT WE APPLIED FOR IN JULY OF 2025.
IT WAS A COMPETITIVE GRANT PROCESS, AND THE SCOPE OF THIS WORK WAS TO ESSENTIALLY IDENTIFY HOW MANY CESSPOOLS ARE IN YAVAPAI COUNTY.
THE WAY THAT WE'RE GOING TO GO ABOUT THIS WAS THROUGH A GIS ANALYSIS, WHERE WE USE PUBLICLY AVAILABLE PERMITTING DATA TO IDENTIFY POSSIBLE LOCATIONS OF CESSPOOLS THROUGHOUT THE COUNTY.
THE SECOND GOAL OF THIS GRANT WAS TO MOVE FORWARD WITH A HYDROGEOLOGIC STUDY IN ASH FORK, WHICH IS TO HELP THE COMMUNITY OF ASH FORK MOVE TOWARDS LONG-TERM SOLUTIONS WITH A SEWER PLAN IN THE COMMUNITY OF ASH FORK.
TO DATE, ALL $40,000 OF THIS GRANT HAVE BEEN USED ON BOTH THE GIS ANALYSIS AND THE HYDROGEOLOGIC STUDY.
FIRST, I'D LIKE TO TALK ABOUT THIS GIS ANALYSIS.
SO WE IMPLEMENTED A DEDUCTIVE MODELING METHOD.
AND AS I MENTIONED EARLIER, WE USED PUBLICLY AVAILABLE PERMITTING DATA SUCH, AS SEWER LINE EXTENSIONS, BUILDING PERMITS, AND SEPTIC PERMITS.
USING THESE PERMITS, IT HELPS BUILD A PICTURE OF THE PROBABILITIES OF WHERE CESSPOOLS ARE OR ARE NOT.
SO, FOR EXAMPLE, IF THERE'S NO BUILDING PERMIT-- OR, I'M SORRY, IF THERE IS A BUILDING PERMIT BUT NO SEPTIC PERMIT, WE RANK THAT HIGHER IN THE PROBABILITY THAT THERE'S POSSIBLY A CESSPOOL GOING ON HERE, OR AT THE VERY LEAST, AN UNPERMITTED SEPTIC SYSTEM.
SOME OF THE ROADBLOCKS THAT WE ENCOUNTERED DURING THIS PROCESS WAS ACQUIRING DATA.
CERTAIN MUNICIPALITIES WERE HESITANT TO RELEASE THEIR SEWER DATA, AS IT'S PROTECTED.
IN OTHER INSTANCES, THE DATA FORMATTING TOOK SOME TIME TO CLEAN AND MASSAGE OUT SO THAT WE CAN HAVE WORKING TABLES ACROSS AGENCIES.
AND THEN LAST, IN ENVIRONMENTAL, WE SPECIFICALLY DEALT WITH STAFFING ISSUES AND THEN THE SYSTEMS MIGRATION TO OPENGOV.
DESPITE ALL OF THESE ROADBLOCKS, TO DATE, WE HAVE BEEN ABLE TO GENERATE MAPS OF YARNELL, WHICH IS WHAT YOU SEE THERE.
WE ALSO HAVE A MAP OF ASH FORK AND SELIGMAN AS WELL.
SO WE'RE ABLE TO MAP OUT DIFFERENT AREAS OF YAVAPAI COUNTY AND START SEEING WHAT THE SCOPE OF OUR ISSUE IS SO THAT WAY WE CAN PRIORITIZE FUTURE FUNDING TO ADDRESS THESE SPECIFIC AREAS.
THE SECOND PART OF THE ADEQ GRANT FUNDS WERE APPLIED TO A HYDROGEOLOGICAL STUDY IN ASH FORK.
WE APPLIED ABOUT $38,000 TO THIS STUDY, AND THIS WAS RECOMMENDED BASED ON A PRELIMINARY ENGINEERING REPORT THAT OCCURRED IN ASH FORK.
AND THIS ENGINEERING REPORT WAS TO GUIDE THE COMMUNITY ON A LONG-TERM WASTEWATER TREATMENT FACILITY.
THE FIRST STEP TO GETTING THAT TREATMENT FACILITY WAS A HYDROGEOLOGIC STUDY IN ORDER TO HELP WITH THE DESIGN.
THERE WERE OLDER STUDIES THAT WERE DONE.
HOWEVER, THEY WERE NO LONGER ACCEPTED BY THE STATE.
AND SO THIS WAS AN INSTANCE OF THE RIGHT PEOPLE AT THE RIGHT TIME.
AND WE HAPPENED TO HAVE THE FUNDING.
AND SO WE WORKED WITH ASH FORK'S WATER DISTRICT, AND THEY HAD ALREADY DONE A LOT OF THE LEGWORK.
AND SO AT THIS POINT, WE HAD THE FUNDING, AND WE HELPED THEM WITH THE HYDROGEOLOGIC STUDY, WHICH HAS NOW BEEN ACCEPTED, AND THEY'RE NOW ABLE TO MOVE FORWARD WITH THE LONG-TERM SOLUTIONS OF A WASTEWATER TREATMENT PLANT.
BROOKS COMPTON: YOUR MIC, SUPERVISOR? CHRIS KUKNYO: AND JUST THEY ALREADY BOUGHT THE LAND FOR THE TREATMENT FACILITY.
SO IT'S MOVING ALONG, AND THANKS, YOU, FOR YOUR HELP, TOO.
ELLIOTT DOMINGUEZ: YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.
AGAIN, THIS IS THE RIGHT PEOPLE IN ASH FORK.
AND HERE AT THE COUNTY, WE HAPPEN TO HAVE THIS GRANT AVAILABLE.
SO IT'S EVERYONE WORKING TOGETHER ON THIS.
THE SECOND GRANT THAT I'D LIKE TO TALK ABOUT TODAY
[02:10:01]
IS THE NORTHERN ARIZONA COUNCIL OF GOVERNMENTS CESSPOOL ABATEMENT GRANT.THIS YEAR WAS THE FIRST YEAR THAT WE USED THESE GRANTS FOR SEPTIC REPAIR.
BUT OVERALL, OVER $600,000 OF FUNDS HAVE BEEN AWARDED IN THE FORM OF COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT BLOCK GRANTS, WITH OVER $280,000 OF THOSE FUNDS ALLOCATED TO ASH FORK AND SELIGMAN ALONE.
THESE CONTRACTS ARE RECEIVED EVERY THREE YEARS, SO I WANT TO EMPHASIZE THAT THIS IS A REPEATABLE PROGRAM THAT WE CAN REPEAT IN THE FUTURE.
IT'S ESTIMATED THAT THE AVERAGE COST OF A NEW SEPTIC SYSTEM IS ANYWHERE FROM $10,000 TO $40,000.
AND SO FOR UNSUSPECTING HOMEOWNERS WITH FAILING SEPTIC SYSTEMS, IT COMES AS A HUGE SHOCK TO HAVE TO PAY FOR A NEW SYSTEM.
HOWEVER, WITH THIS CESSPOOL ABATEMENT GRANT, FUNDING IS AVAILABLE TO ASSIST WITH ABANDONING CESSPOOLS, SEPTIC SYSTEM INSTALLATION, AND FINDING ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS FOR TRICKY PARCELS WHERE A CONVENTIONAL SYSTEM MIGHT BE DIFFICULT OR OUTRIGHT IMPOSSIBLE TO BUILD ON.
OUR GOAL IS TO TARGET 15 TO 20 HOMEOWNERS.
SO FAR IN THE PROGRAM, WE HAVE 16 APPLICANTS TOTAL, AND OF THOSE 16, TWO PROJECTS ARE CURRENTLY IN THE BID PROCESS TO MOVE FORWARD WITH INSTALLING A SEPTIC SYSTEM.
BROOKS COMPTON: SUPERVISOR JENKINS? DEE JENKINS: I READ THE CLASSIFIEDS.
IT TELLS ME WHAT'S GOING ON IN THE AREA.
AND IN TODAY'S VERDE INDEPENDENT WAS AN AD FOR CESSPOOL APPLICANTS.
ELLIOTT DOMINGUEZ: THAT'S GREAT.
DEE JENKINS: SO YOU'RE REACHING THE PUBLIC.
BROOKS COMPTON: SUPERVISOR KUKNYO? CHRIS KUKNYO: AND THIS MONEY WASN'T FOR SEPTIC REPAIR.
THIS WAS FOR SEPTIC REPLACEMENT OF CESSPOOLS.
ISN'T THAT RIGHT? ELLIOTT DOMINGUEZ: YEAH SEPTIC-- I'M SORRY.
CESSPOOL ABATEMENT, BUT WE ARE ASSISTING WITH FAILING SEPTIC SYSTEMS IN AREAS SUCH AS THIS DIAMOND VALLEY WHERE IT'S DIFFICULT TO INSTALL A CONVENTIONAL SYSTEM.
CHRIS KUKNYO: AND WE'RE USING THIS ON PEOPLE WHO-- IF THEY DID NOT GET THIS REPAIR DONE, WE WOULD HAVE TO EVICT THEM FROM THEIR HOMES.
BROOKS COMPTON: VICE CHAIR? NIKKI CHECK: SO THE BOARD APPROVED THE NACOG CDBG FUNDS IN JANUARY OF 2025.
SO I'M A LITTLE BIT SURPRISED THAT ONLY TWO PROJECTS HAVE BEEN BID SINCE THEN.
CAN YOU EXPLAIN THE LAG IN TIMELINE THERE? ELLIOTT DOMINGUEZ: YEAH, ABSOLUTELY.
SO AS I MENTIONED AT THE TOP, THIS IS OUR FIRST YEAR USING THESE PROGRAMS FOR SEPTIC FUNDS, OR SEPTIC REPAIR.
THIS PROGRAM WAS PILOTED, I BELIEVE, AS A HOME REPAIR PROGRAM IN THE PAST, AND SO THE MECHANISMS FOR SPENDING AND FUNDING WERE HASHED OUT IN THAT ARENA.
BUT SINCE THIS WAS THE FIRST YEAR DOING SEPTIC REPAIR, WE'VE HAD TO, I GUESS, CREATE THAT TRAIL AND THOSE SPECIFIC SPENDING MECHANISMS IN ENVIRONMENTAL.
JACOB ARMSTRONG: I'LL JUST ADD REAL QUICK, VICE CHAIR, WE DID MEET WITH NACOG SPECIFICALLY ON THIS ABOUT THREE WEEKS AGO, GOING OVER THAT LIST, AND, FOR ALL INTENTS AND PURPOSES, CATCHING UP A LITTLE BIT.
AND WE HAD THAT CONVERSATION WITH THEM, SO WE HOPE TO SEE MORE IN THE NEAR FUTURE.
BROOKS COMPTON: COMMISSIONER GARRISON? RANDALL GARRISON: YEAH, THANK YOU.
I'M TRYING TO FIGURE OUT HOW TO RELAY WHAT I'M THINKING.
I'M SEEING A PANDORA'S BOX BECAUSE THERE'S A DEFINITE PROBLEM.
BUT THE SOLUTION, ESPECIALLY IN THE MAP YOU SHOWED, ISN'T GOING TO BE FIXING IT ON SITE.
IT'S GOING TO BE PUTTING IN A SEWER SYSTEM, AND THEN YOU GOT TO CREATE A DISTRICT, AND THEN YOU GOT TO TAX PEOPLE.
AND VERDE VILLAGE IS THE SAME PROBLEM.
VERDE VILLAGE IS-- THOSE SEPTIC SYSTEMS ON A LOT THAT WASN'T DESIGNED FOR A TRAILER, AND A SEPTIC SYSTEM ARE FAILING LEFT AND RIGHT.
BUT THERE'S NO CLEAR WAY FOR THEM TO FIX THE PROBLEM, BECAUSE YOU CAN'T LEAVE THE PROPERTY, AND THEY CAN'T AFFORD TO BECOME PART OF A DISTRICT.
SO I'M REALLY KIND OF NERVOUS ON WHERE THIS GOES BECAUSE THERE'S AN ABSOLUTE ENVIRONMENTAL PROBLEM GOING ON, BUT THE ONLY WAY TO FIX IT IS GOING TO BE THROW A LOT OF MONEY AT IT.
AND I'M JUST NOT SURE HOW WE'RE GOING TO GET THAT THROUGH WHAT, AT THE END OF THE DAY, ENDS UP BEING NEIGHBORHOODS THAT ARE THE LEAST LIKELY TO BE ABLE TO AFFORD THAT.
COMMISSIONER GRIFFIS? SANDY GRIFFIS: MR. CHAIR.
ELLIOTT, THE FIRST BULLET POINT SAYS, "FIRST YEAR USING FUNDS FOR SEPTIC REPAIR." THEN YOU GO DOWN, AND IT SAYS, "FUNDING IS AVAILABLE TO ASSIST WITH ABANDONING CESSPOOLS, SEPTIC SYSTEM INSTALLATION, AND ALTERNATIVE SOLUTIONS." IT DOESN'T SAY ANYTHING ABOUT SEPTIC REPAIR.
SO ARE FUNDS AVAILABLE FOR SEPTIC REPAIRS?
[02:15:05]
ELLIOTT DOMINGUEZ: YES, SPECIFICALLY FOR FAILING SEPTIC SYSTEMS, ABSOLUTELY.AGAIN, THERE ARE REQUIREMENTS FOR THIS PROGRAM, SUCH AS INCOME.
THE HOMES MUST BE OWNER-OCCUPIED.
DOES THAT HELP YOU? SANDY GRIFFIS: IT DOES.
PLEASE SEND ME THE APPLICATION.
SANDY GRIFFIS: I WILL SEND YOU THIS INFO.
I WILL FILE AN ANONYMOUS COMPLAINT.
[LAUGHTER] NIKKI CHECK: WHILE YOU CAN.
ELLIOTT DOMINGUEZ: THANK YOU FOR THE QUESTIONS.
MOVING ON TO THE NEXT SLIDE-- WELL, I GUESS THAT'S IT.
SO IF YOU ALL HAVE ANY MORE QUESTIONS-- BROOKS COMPTON: IF WE'RE DEALING WITH CESSPOOLS, WE'LL START WITH DISTRICT 4.
CHRIS KUKNYO: YEAH, AND JUST WANT TO SAY THAT GETTING THE SEWER SYSTEMS IN-- AND WE ACTUALLY OWN THE SEWER DISTRICT IN SELIGMAN, BUT WE DON'T IN ASH FORK.
AND THEY'RE PUSHING AHEAD, TRYING TO GET THAT SEWER IN.
AND FOR ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT, THESE ARE DEPRESSED AREAS UP THERE.
AND THEY HAVE A BRAND NEW, GIGANTIC TA'S TRUCK STOP, WHICH-- THEY AIN'T THE BEST JOBS, BUT THEY'RE JOBS.
AND THEY ALMOST DID NOT GET IT BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T HAVE WASTEWATER TREATMENT.
SO, I MEAN, THIS IS IMPORTANT TO KEEP PUSHING FORWARD WITH.
BROOKS COMPTON: VICE CHAIR? NIKKI CHECK: YEAH.
MY MEMORY MIGHT NOT BE COMPLETE ON THIS TOPIC, BUT I WANT TO BRING UP THE EFFORT TO ASK THE STATE FOR FORGIVABLE LOANS TO COUNTIES.
LIKE, FOR EXAMPLE, MUNICIPALITIES CAN APPLY FOR WIFIA LOANS.
COUNTIES ARE NOT-- HAVE HISTORICALLY NOT BEEN ABLE TO APPLY FOR LOANS BECAUSE WE'RE NOT SEWER OPERATORS.
I THINK PIMA COUNTY IS THE EXCEPTION, THAT THEY ACTUALLY HAVE A SEWER THAT THEY OPERATE THEMSELVES AS A COUNTY.
OH, WE DO, TOO, AS A COUNTY? CHRIS KUKNYO: SELIGMAN IS A YAVAPAI COUNTY SEWER DISTRICT.
SANTA FE WALKED AWAY, AND WE SAID, WE'LL DO IT.
WELL, I MEAN, MY UNDERSTANDING IS THAT THERE WAS A BILL THAT WENT FORWARD.
DO YOU REMEMBER IF IT PASSED THIS LAST LEGISLATIVE SESSION? TO SPECIFICALLY OPEN THE DOOR TO FORGIVABLE LOANS FOR COUNTIES, BECAUSE THAT'S, ESSENTIALLY, THE ANSWER TO THIS TYPE OF PROBLEM WHERE CONSTITUENTS AREN'T ABLE TO POTENTIALLY COVER THOSE COSTS.
JACOB ARMSTRONG: AND WE'VE DONE A LOT OF STUDIES UP THERE.
AND IT LOOKS LIKE-- BROOKS COMPTON: PLEASE STATE YOUR NAME FOR THE RECORD, SIR.
MAX KAMEN: CHAIR, BOARDS, I'M MAX KAMEN, ENVIRONMENTAL UNIT MANAGER.
COUNTIES WILL BE ABLE TO ACCESS THOSE WITH THE FUNDS.
NIKKI CHECK: WELL, THANK YOU, MAX, FOR COMPLETING MY MEMORY.
I KNEW [LAUGHS] IT WAS SOMEWHERE IN THAT DIRECTION.
I THINK THAT HELPS ADDRESS THE CONCERNS THAT COMMISSIONER GARRISON'S BRINGING UP, BECAUSE WE CAN'T FIX THESE LARGE SCALE PROBLEMS AT A COUNTY LEVEL.
IT'S JUST NOT, NECESSARILY, FAIR TO THE TAXING DISTRICT.
THE STATE'S REALLY-- HAS THAT LARGER PROBLEM.
SO IT REALLY HELPS ADDRESS THE PROBLEM FROM THAT 30,000, 90,000 CESSPOOLS IN THE STATE VIEWPOINT.
SO I'M HAPPY TO HAVE MORE INFORMATION ABOUT THAT.
CHRIS KUKNYO: AND I THINK ASH FORK IS AVAILABLE-- WIFIA'S AVAILABLE TO THEM AS WELL.
THEY ARE WORKING ON FUNDING, RIGHT NOW, CURRENTLY, AS WE SPEAK, ABOUT TRYING TO FIGURE OUT FUNDING FOR FORGIVABLE LOANS, FOR GRANTS, WORKING WITH THE EPA TO TRY TO COME UP WITH ALL THE DIFFERENT OPTIONS FOR FUNDING FOR SETTING UP THAT WASTEWATER SYSTEM.
CHRIS KUKNYO: AND WIFIA'S SO GREAT BECAUSE I THINK IT'S 1% INTEREST RATE AND THEN ALL OR PARTIAL FORGIVABLE.
I THINK USUALLY IT'S ABOUT 40%, 60%, RIGHT? MAX KAMEN: I DON'T KNOW THE NUMBERS OFF MY HEAD, TOP OF MY HEAD.
BUT I KNOW THEY'RE WORKING ON THAT.
DEPENDING ON WHAT SIZE SYSTEM YOU GO WITH AND HOW MUCH YOU ACTUALLY NEED, CERTAIN PARTS ARE FORGIVABLE.
AND THERE ARE DEFINITELY THE LOW INTEREST RATES.
BROOKS COMPTON: SUPERVISOR JENKINS? MALLORY? ANYBODY PLANNING AND ZONING? YES, SIR.
MICHAEL SCHUMACHER: BRINGING UP THE COST, I'M THE CHAIR OF THE DIAMOND VALLEY WATER DISTRICT.
AND WE TRIED TO DO AN INITIATIVE TO FORM A WASTEWATER DISTRICT FOR DIAMOND VALLEY BECAUSE THE TOWN OF PRESCOTT VALLEY WOULD'VE ANNEXED US FOR THE WASTEWATER CREDITS.
13 YEARS AGO, WE WERE LOOKING AT $20,000 PER PARCEL AT 2% INTEREST.
TODAY, I WOULD IMAGINE IT'S PROBABLY $70,000 PER PARCEL.
AND WHENEVER I HEAR A RESIDENT OF DIAMOND VALLEY COME UP TO ME AND COMPLAIN ABOUT SOMETHING, THE WATER, ET CETERA, ROADS,
[02:20:03]
I TELL THEM, PRESCOTT VALLEY WOULD STILL ANNEX US IF WE FORM AN IMPROVEMENT DISTRICT FOR $70,000 PER PARCEL NOW.AND AS SOON AS I THROW THAT NUMBER OUT, THE PEOPLE RAISE THEIR HANDS UP AND SAY, I DON'T WANT IT.
SO THIS IS-- BROOKS COMPTON: WELL, I THANK YOU FOR YOUR INPUT.
ANYTHING ELSE ON THIS PARTICULAR TOPIC? NO? NIKKI CHECK: I JUST HAVE ONE QUESTION I WANT ANSWERED.
HOW MANY ARE IN YAVAPAI COUNTY? I HEARD-- IS IT 15,000 POSSIBLY? MAX KAMEN: WE'RE FINDING THEM OUT THERE AS WE COME ACROSS THEM.
I MEAN, UP UNTIL '76, THESE WERE LEGAL.
AND SO JUST LOOK AT HOW MANY HOUSES WERE BUILT BEFORE '76 IN THIS AREA OR IN YOUR DISTRICTS.
AND, YEAH, THERE'S A PROBABILITY THAT THEY ARE ON CESSPOOLS.
CHRIS KUKNYO: JUST LOOK FOR REALLY GREEN PATCHES OF GRASS.
[LAUGHTER] BROOKS COMPTON: WELL, I'D JUST LIKE TO SAY THANK YOU TO EVERYONE FOR ATTENDING TODAY, FOR THE COMMISSIONERS AND SUPERVISORS AND STAFF AND JACOB FOR GIVING US THE PRESENTATION.
AND I THINK WE HAVE A DIRECTION WHERE WE CAN MOVE FORWARD, AND I LOOK FORWARD TO MANY MORE OF THESE IN THE FUTURE.
AND SO THIS MEETING IS ADJOURNED.
* This transcript was compiled from uncorrected Closed Captioning.