Assistant Recreation Manager Robert Carmona reviewed his Powerpoint presentation which included the history of the Naranja Park, its current facilities, the proposal, as well as the fiscal impact for the town. Mr. Carmona explained to the Council who comprised the Archery Working Group and that they had hosted two open houses and had received 65 comments from citizens, the majority in favor of the archery range. He reviewed the national safety statistics for archery ranges compared to other sports, the course design and reported that neither the Safety and Risk Manager nor the Arizona Municipal Risk and Retention Pool representative had any concerns with the site.
Gerry Perry, representing the Archery Working Group, spoke on the demand for archery in the community including youth participation and exercise enthusiasts. He explained that the Conceptual Plan included two 10-acre archery ranges and two 14-target walking courses that used existing trails. He added that the town would operate and manage the course during daylight hours, based on a phased-in plan.
Mr. Carmona explained how the course would be funded which included an Intergovernmental Agreement with Arizona Game and Fish, participation by the the Archery Trade Association, the Pusch Ridge Archers, as well as grant opportunites. He pointed out that the course would stimulate economic development in the town by including handicaps, seniors, and youth and could bring a larger signature event to the area for avid archers. Lastly, he reviewed the fee structure, maintenance costs and fiscal impact that the course would bring to the town.
Mr. Carmona opened the discussion up to questions and responded to the following:
- The $50,000 match in grant monies could be resources, land, or labor and did not have to be cash
- The Proposed Fee structure was $5 daily and $50 annually
- May be a citizen rate vs. a non-citizen rate
- The fiscal impact in the slides did not include tournaments
- There was nothing in writing regarding a liability fee increase
- There was no discussion to date regarding archery events that would be in the town
- Any discounted rates to groups or clubs would need to offset staff costs
Mayor Hiremath opened the floor for public comment and the following individuals spoke on this item:
- Dave Corrigan, Tucson resident, spoke in favor of the range and added that he had not experienced any unsafe incidents during his many years of archery including children’s events.
- Jim Littlejohn, Oro Valley resident, spoke in support of archery and stated that he had fond memories of being a kid and shooting a bow and arrow and that the range would be great for families and the community.
- Ed Snyder, Saddlebrooke resident and President of its’ Archery Club, thanked the Council for the proposed range and reported that the sport of archery was safe, quiet and family friendly and that his club was interested in sustaining the range and volunteering on a greater scale.
- Dennis Wylder, Tucson resident, noted that he belonged to the Desert Archers which was over 20 miles away and that he strongly supported having a closer range. He stated that young people received joy from archery as well as exercise and suggested that an archery shop could follow a range into the town.
- Stan Strebig, Saddlebrooke resident, stressed that he believed that Oro Valley would benefit economically from a range, that archery was safe and repeated that his Archery Club would volunteer their time on the range.
- Eric Weiss, Tucson resident, supported the range and stated that as a long-time archer he knew that archery events were well-attended by the participants’ friends and family. He stated that there was a gap on the north side of Pima County for a nearby and well-maintained archery range.
- Roger Johnson, Tucson resident and member of the Desert Archers, commented that there was nothing better than a field range over a fixed range.
- Matt Cannon, Oro Valley resident, explained that he was a parent of four young children and that archery was an excellent sport for kids that did not do well in team sports, was good exercise and got them off of the couch.
- Bill Adler, Oro Valley resident, was concerned that the range was supposed to be a temporary use and urged the Council to have the topography be proved useful for a range.
Vice Mayor Waters asked if there would be supervision on the range and who would enforce the rules if they were broken by the archers.
Mr. Carmona responded that the majority of ranges were self-regulated courses because groups relied on their permits that needed to be renewed each year.
Mr. Perry added that no course provided supervision because peer pressure from the groups and archers on the range was sufficient. For example, if an arrow was ruined, there would be repercussions and it was not cheap to reimburse someone.
Lt. Teachout stated that the Police Department was down the street and that volunteers could patrol the park and respond to calls, similar to routine noise or dog off-leash complaints. He added that there was discretion among the officers for sanctions regarding property damage, willful vandalism, etc.
Councilmember Solomon commented that the proposal was an innovative example of a public/private partnership and that the master plan for the park site would remain untouched by this range.
Councilmember Gillaspie pointed out that when the range was approved, the master plan was supposed to remain untouched. He stated that the need for recreation in the community was paramount and thanked the archery community for being patient with the Council. He thanked the Town staff who worked on the issue and thanked the Council for working on the item.
MOTION: A motion was made by Councilmember Gillaspie and seconded by Councilmember Snider to adopt Resolution (R)12-03, authorizing and approving an intergovernmental agreement between the Town of Oro Valley and the Arizona Game and Fish Commission for an archery range at the Oro Valley Naranja Town Site Park with the following conditions:
- Development of this facility will be contigent on funding through private sources, grants, other government agencies and the Arizona Game and Fish Department.
- The facility is to be constructed as funds become available and, if necessary, in phases with the fixed course being constructed first, followed by the east walk-around course and, lastly, the west walk-around.
- Targets shall be placed away from saguaros and pathways and should avoid vegetation. Targets should be marked.
MOTION carried, 7-0.
Mayor Hiremath recessed the meeting at 7:24 p.m. and resumed the meeting at 7:33 p.m.
Town Clerk Julie Bower explained the request to change to synopsis minutes and the huge reduction in staff time that the departments would benefit from. She accounted for the audio and video recordings that were archived and made immediately available to the public, and clarified that summary minutes would be made available for meetings when there were no recordings.
Mayor Hiremath opened the public hearing.
- Alan Dankwerth, Oro Valley resident, spoke against the amendment and stated that complete transparency was important and that synopsis minutes should be kept.
John Musolf, Oro Valley resident, spoke against the amendment and stated that going to action minutes reduced transparency. He also stated that he could not find examples of the proposed action minutes.
Donald Bristow, Oro Valley resident, was undecided regarding the action minutes but remarked that the City of Tucson’s action minutes were limited and he had concerns for the hearing impaired.
Bill Adler, Oro Valley resident, was concerned about Board and Commission meetings because those volunteers were not as accessible to the public as the elected officials.
Mayor Hiremath recessed the meeting at 7:46 p.m. and resumed the meeting at 7:48 p.m.
Vice Mayor Waters noted that the Town Clerk had addressed the issue of what would happen if the audio or video system failed during a meeting.
Councilmember Gillaspie remarked that it was not until the audio and video recordings were available that the Town moved from verbatim to synopsis minutes. He asked for an explanation of synopsis minutes vs. action minutes and suggested that it would be helpful to have an example.
Town Attorney Tobin Rosen responded that there was no legal requirement to have full minutes of a meeting, just a record of the actions taken. He also reviewed Arizona’s Open Meeting Law statute which stated that as long as the public could attend the meetings when they were going on, the law was being followed.
Councilmember Hornat requested examples of synopsis and action minutes so that he could see the difference between the two.
Councilmember Garner asked what the current state-required retention period was for minutes, and what the retention period was for audio and video media. He mentioned that there was nothing broken to make a move to action minutes.
Councilmember Snider expressed that there was not an issue regarding the action minutes but that there should be an example available for people to see. She added that it had nothing to do with the Council being less transparent; it was another way to be more efficient. She asked that an example of action minutes and synopsis minutes be brought back to Council for review.
Councilmember Solomon concurred that there was not a transparancy issue because the full meetings were online and available for the entire public to view. He reiterated that the Council was always looking for efficiencies and that Town staff had been reduced as well as expenditures by the town. He stated that action minutes were more user friendly and that staff time would be saved.
Mayor Hiremath inquired as to how other municipalities utilized their staff time regarding minutes completion.
Ms. Bower replied that the City of Phoenix had 62 employees in their Clerk’s Office and 3 of them were devoted strictly to Council minutes; City of Tucson Clerk’s Office had 21 employees and 2-4 completed Council minutes; City of Scottsdale had 7 on staff and 1-2 completed Council minutes; City of Chandler had 5 on staff and 2 completed Council minutes full-time as well as one contracted employee.
Interim Town Manager Greg Caton reported that in addition to the Clerk’s Office, there were several other departments that had staff who completed minutes and that some positions had not been filled yet.
Councilmember Gillaspie said that synopsis minutes did not reflect what he said in nuance or inferred meaning.
Mayor Hiremath stressed that the transparency issues brought up were about trust and that trust was not a unilateral street. He stated that he did not understand the perceived lack of transparency within the Town, which was a diversion from the problem at the state and national level.
Councilmember Snider added that she shared the Mayor’s frustration.
MOTION: A motion was made by Councilmember Snider and seconded by Councilmember Solomon to take no action, and directed staff to bring an example back to the January 18, 2012 Council meeting of the proposed Action Minutes.
MOTION carried, 7-0.