Our Work Session ran longer than usual because of the excellent presentation given by Tony Boone on Economic Development. During which our City Manager, Chuck Potucek, brought to our attention that Sierra Vista is on a "shortlist" to lose our status as a metropolitan area, along with several other AZ cities. This change that the Office of Management and Budget is considering would double the population minimum needed for an area to qualify as a metropolitan area. 50,000 people is the current threshold that's been in place for the past 70 years and the proposed change would raise that number to 100,000. The Mayor made some good points that while there are pros and cons for Sierra Vista having this status, the pros now outweigh the cons since we've put in all the work and investment needed. A change in our status could drastically impact our funding for transit, community development, economic development, etc... Needless to say, this has us all concerned, and City staff is coordinating a response between the four affected cities in the state to our Congressional delegation and will submit comments on our behalf. Public comments are also being accepted by the Office of Management and Budget online here from now until March 20th.
Work Session for Tuesday, March 9th
Agenda with video timestamps:
Presentation and Discussion:
March 11, 2021 Council Meeting Agenda Items: Call to Order Roll Call Invocation Pledge of Allegiance Item 1 Acceptance of the Agenda Awards and Presentations Presentation by J.D. Rottweiler on the success of the City of Sierra Vista and Cochise College Partnerships City Manager’s Report: Upcoming Meetings, Bid Openings, and Bid Awards Item 2 Consent Agenda Item 2.1 Approval of the Regular City Council Meeting Minutes of February 25, 2021 Item 2.2 Resolution 2021-016, Approval of the Holiday at PDS, Phase 5B final plat, Lots 30-59, Acceptance of Subdivider’s Agreement, and Improvement Security Public Hearings Item 3 Consideration of Funding Applications for Program Year 2021 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Annual Action Plan New Business Item 4 Resolution 2021-017, Approval of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety Grant Funding (GOHS) Contract #2021-405c-010 to purchase equipment to implement Arizona TraCS (Traffic and Criminal Software) Call to the Public Comments and Requests of the Council Adjournment
Report on Recent Trips, Meetings, and Future Meetings
Future Discussion Items and Council Requests
Adjourn
City Council Meeting for Thursday, March 11th
Meeting Summary
Minutes
Press Release
Agenda with video timestamps:
Call to Order - 5:00 PM Roll Call Invocation Pledge of Allegiance Item 1 Acceptance of the Agenda Awards and Presentations Presentation by J.D. Rottweiler on the success of the City of Sierra Vista and Cochise College Partnerships City Manager’s Report: Upcoming Meetings, Bid Openings and Bid Awards Item 2 Consent Agenda
Item 2.1 Approval of the Regular City Council Meeting Minutes of February 25, 2021 Item 2.2 Resolution 2021-016, Approval of the Holiday at PDS, Phase 5B final plat, Lots 30-59, Acceptance of Subdivider’s Agreement, and Improvement Security Public Hearings
Item 3 Consideration of Funding Applications for Program Year 2021 Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) Annual Action Plan New Business
Item 4 Resolution 2021-017, Approval of the Governor’s Office of Highway Safety Grant Funding (GOHS) Contract #2021-405c-010 to purchase equipment to implement Arizona TraCS (Traffic and Criminal Software) Call to the Public
Adjournment
If you aren't able to watch the meeting, the City PIO, Adam Curtis, did a great job writing a review of what took place. You can read it on the Engage Sierra Vista website here. The next time the City council meets will be Monday the 22nd to start strategic planning.
As always, please don't hesitate to reach out to me at Carolyn.Umphrey@SierraVistaAZ.gov with any comments or questions you may have.
Best,
[Added on 3/26/21]
Our Work Session was cancelled this past Tuesday due to a lack of agenda items. Our City Council meeting was maybe 20 minutes long and you can watch it here.
City Council unanimously approved a Series 6 liquor license for Chill Factor Hookah Lounge on E. Fry Blvd.
This blog is written by Carolyn Umphrey and does not represent the views or opinions of the City of Sierra Vista or its City Council. For official information and news from the City of Sierra Vista go to SierraVistaAZ.gov and check out the weekly City e-newsletters for March 5th, March 12th, March 19th, and March 26th. You can also learn about ways to get more involved and stay informed with City happenings at Engage Sierra Vista.