Buckeye City Council covered ground quickly in a 12-minute meeting on Tuesday.
During that short time, the council approved one new business item amending the Operating Management Policies, submitted two grants, made headway on bringing electric vehicle infrastructure to the city and approved purchases for the information technology department and Buckeye Police Department. It also honored the 18-year career of a city employee and celebrating high participation numbers for the Before & After School Kids Program and summer reading program.
Human resources director retires
District 2 council member Jeanine Guy thanked former Human Resources Director Nancy Love for her years of service at the city. Love retired last week after nearly 18 years at the city, according to her LinkedIn.
"She was the HR director for the majority of her professional career and really shepherded us through some difficult times, especially during the recession in 2007 and 2008," Guy said.
Mayor Eric Orsborn also commended her career and the impact she made on the city: "She has been an outstanding employee for us for a long, long time and we really appreciate her service to the city of Buckeye.
School and reading programs soar
City Manager Daniel Cotterman provided updates on two programs that have had a wide impact on local youth.
- The Before & After School Kids Program (B.A.S.E. Program) is now in full swing, Cotterman said, with nine participating schools in the Saddle Mountain and Buckeye school districts. So far, 372 students are participating, with more expected to join this week.
- The city's summer reading program included 3,470 participants who read a total of 2.4 million minutes. The initiative ended with a Harry Potter party sponsored by the Friends of the Library.
Consent agenda items
Council also unanimously approved the following consent agenda items in one unanimous vote:
- The purchase of 18 radios for Buckeye Police Department, totaling approximately $180,000.
- The allocation of up to $700,000 to the city's information technology department to purchase equipment and to renew software licensing and hardware maintenance agreements and services.
- Awarded trade service contracts to the following companies for regular city maintenance projects and needs: Guys Contracting, LLC; Woodruff Construction; Diversified Flooring Services, LLC; D Lux Painting; DH Pace Company, Inc.; Pueblo Mechanical and Controls, LLC; Cardinal Electric, LLC; Hawkeye Electric, Inc.; Breinholt Contracting Co., Inc.; Caballero's Landscaping, Inc.; SDB, Inc. dba SDB Contracting Services; and Invader Pest Management, Inc.
- Approved the submission of a $400,000 grant application to the Department of Justice to purchase 200 new body cameras, 200 auto-transcribe service licenses and 200 redaction assistant licenses. The grant covers the equipment for three years. The matching grant would be split 50-50 between the city and the DOJ, with each contributing $200,000.
- Executed a $105,700 electric vehicle charging infrastructure award from the state. The grant will complete the city's EV charging siting plan. The state will provide $100,000 and the city will contribute $5,700.
- Submitted a $12 million grant to the Arizona Department of Emergency and Military Affairs. If awarded, the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities grant would go to constructing a flood prevention earthwork ring around the Buckeye Central Water Reclamation Facility. Floodwater would be diverted to the Gila River. The grant provides $9 million over 24-36 months with the city matching $3 million during that time.
Operating Management Policy amendments
The only new business on the agenda took action to amend the city's Operating Management Policies, an item which passed unanimously. The approved enhancements adjusted levels of control and personnel responsibilities for budget amendments including requiring that council approve of the creating of new Capital Improvement Projects or the significant changes of CIPs.
"The overall goals are to maintain financial stability and to be able to adapt to changes in the economy or new services while adhering to practices established by the Government Finance Officers Association," read the agenda packet. "In addition, the policy provides guidance and clarity on the structure and development of the budget, defining the budget control system, how to amend the budget and specific revenue and expenditure principles to ensure ongoing financial sustainability and operating practices."
Follow this link for the entire council package.
