I'd like to close by thanking everybody, especially all the members of our Phoenix aviation department that helped to make today possible uh in the onboarding process. You know, they work hard to uh to make sure that over 130,000 passengers every single day make it through our airport efficiently and safely. You know, and as the largest economic engine and the largest employment center uh in all of Arizona, although TSMC is getting much bigger, so we're watching them. Uh, Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport contributes more than 44 billion dollars to the Arizona economy every single year. Uh, and our employees make all of this look so seamless, even during the busiest days. And so, I just want to thank all of those teams that helped make this possible. Please join me in thanking them. Check me. Good info is a good thing. The Broadway Curve project is in the works. Prepare for lane closures and detours. Stay ahead of the curve at iTracurve.com. We all want to get to our destination safely, so be aware of everything happening around you. Whenever walking, riding, or rolling along our streets. Most pedestrian and bike crashes happen when drivers are turning. Scan the street for wheels and feet when turning or entering intersections. Hello, I'm Phoenix City Councilwoman Kesha Haj Washington, and I want to let you know about the city's parks and recreation master plan. The master plan defines the community's vision and guides a department's direction to create safe and enjoyable parks for our children's and family. The plan will look at all of our parks from East Lake to Newestro. We will also take a look at our recreational amenities such as a Mural Smith Recreation Center and the South Phoenix Youth Center. Our goal is to address equity of access for our residents. Part of the master plan process is receiving feedback from you, our residents. I invite you to take part in the community workshops and surveys that will be made available throughout the next 18 months. Creating spaces for all Phoenicians to enjoy is our goal. You can learn more about the parks and my name is Destiny Dominguez. I'm an administrative assistant too in the public works solid waste division. The Phoenix Management Fellowship Program is a year-long program where you rotate through three different departments, four months each. And during that time, you really just have the opportunity to learn about different uh things happening in that department. And it all kind of ties back to the city manager's office, which is where you're housed. You're learning from these top level staff. It's just such a year-long learning opportunity. The goal of the Phoenix Management Fellowship then and I think now since it's been around for 75 plus years has been to help really just gain exposure to city operations. I grew up in Phoenix. Uh and so when I began studying uh public service, public policy, and then eventually public administration, uh I knew that I wanted to pursue a career in local government. And so during one of my undergrad classes, um I heard about the Phoenix Management Fellowship Program. And so thankfully I I got it really just about giving back to the community that gave so much to me growing up. And then obviously I mean Phoenix is the fifth largest city in the United States, largest council manager form of government. Like who doesn't want to be a part of that? I was seeking a couple of things. I was seeking mentorship, just support, and then experiences that would be able to kind of carry me through my career hopefully with the city of Phoenix. And thankfully, I'm here now today. Um, but that was all here at the city of Phoenix. I think people are often um kind of worried about how large Phoenix is, 1.7 million people, 15,000 employees. But truly, you have such a diverse group of people here at the city to learn from who are willing to just help you get through anything and just willing to be there. Um, so I think that commitment to just building up the Phoenix of tomorrow is what really intrigued me um to be here and I'm so thankful that I'm still here contributing to that. One of my favorite memories is really the community budget hearings. Uh, sitting in on those, listening to the community, the staff was always willing to listen. them just being able to kind of have those conversations with them was really really good to hear. Interacting with field staff, just administrative staff on a day-to-day basis and the incredible executive team that we have here at the city of Phoenix, it's unparalleled. Having gone through the program through that entirely crazy year um has prepared me now here because the amount of connections that you have, the amount of uh resources that you're able to provide that a lot of people aren't aware of. I think it's it's a big benefit to to me. I knew coming into the program that this was my calling, but now I know more than ever that it is. And I'm so thankful to be here at the city of Phoenix. Phoenix has it all and this is the place to be. Who wouldn't want to be here at the Phoenix Management Fellowship Program? Welcome to the third annual meet the mighty machines event where it's an opportunity for all city departments to come and engage with the community and show off their vehicles. Families look forward to this annual event as they get to interact with firefighters and police officers and honors for all the big vehicles from streets and the water department. Today's my first time at this event. Um I came I have a three-year-old and a 2-year-old and they love fire trucks. They love the garbage trucks. They love all the trucks, so I thought it would be great for them to come out and be exposed to a little bit of everything. What better than to show them a free event that the city's putting on. And so far, they're having a really good time. This event is made possible through the Youth and Education Office. We have a grant through First Things First that allows us to have four family resource centers across Phoenix. They offer free programming and events just like this for families with children birth to five. At the family resource centers, we provide parent child activities. We provide parent support groups and workshops and education classes for parents with children birth to five. Um, all of our programs are completely free and you can come see me here at Burton Bar Library during the week. >> Phoenix isn't just a city. It's a community, diverse, vibrant, and always moving forward. At Phoenix TV, we bring you inside city hall and beyond. From the services you rely on to the stories that connect us all. Watch live meetings, local stories, and updates that matter to you. Phoenix TV, your city, your voice. Subscribe on YouTube. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. Heat. All right, good evening. Good evening, everybody. Welcome to Phoenix Sky Harbor Airport, America's friendliest airport. >> I hope you are are looking at me and seeing a well-rested gentleman, and that's because I happen to be a part of the amazing delegation that went to Tai uh Taipei uh and we came back on Starlux Flight 26. We are so proud to welcome our partners and our friends from Starulex Airlines. Please join me in welcoming them. Uh at the start of the order, we have some distinguished guests with us today and I would love to uh to have the opportunity to uh introduce them. First uh and foremost, the leader of our delegation, uh Phoenix Mayor Kate Ggo, the CEO of Starlock Airlines, Glenn Chai is with us today. L Phoenix Vice Mayor Kesha Hajj Washington is with us. Thanks for joining us, Vice Mayor. Director General of Taipei Economic and Cultural Office of Los Angeles. Amino Chi is with us. Welcome. Phoenix City Councilwoman Ann O'Brien of District 1 is with us. She joined us on the delegation. Welcome. The head of airline partnerships for American Airlines, Jeff Ogar is with us. Jeff, managing director of partnerships and international at Alaska Airlines, Alex Judson, president and CEO of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council. Christine Mackey is with us. Chris, president and CEO of Visit Phoenix and the chair of the Phoenix Aviation Advisory Board, uh, Ron Price. Ron, we have a a number of other uh important stakeholders with us. So, if you'll bear with me, it's very important that I introduce them because they are so important to the success that we're celebrating today. Uh, from our Phoenix City Manager's Office, we have Phoenix City Manager Ed Zurker. Ed. Assistant city manager Lorie Ba is with us. Assistant city manager Ginger Spencer. Thank you for joining us. Ginger deputy city manager and my boss. So, it's important we all give him a a big round of of applause here. Frank McHune is with us. Frank. Uh, we also had a number of our Phoenix Aviation Advisory board members joining us on this delegation trip. Ruben Alonzo, Sandy Ferna, and Sharon Wong were with us. Please join me in thanking them and welcoming them to this evening. The city of Phoenix uh community and economic development director Ryan Toolhill is here. Ryan. And then I'm really proud to uh acknowledge a number of my team members who are here in leadership positions. We have assistant uh aviation director, chief oper operations officer uh Sarah Deery is with us. Sarah, there she is. Our assistant director and chief revenue officer, Roxanne Favers, is with us. She also oversees our air service development program. Roxan, an assistant director and chief development officer helping to make our airports work. Uh Davver Malik is with us. Dber. Um the first impression of Sky Harbor is always critically important, especially to our international guests who are traveling to our state and our city for the very first time. And we have very important partners here at Sky Harbor Airport that make that first impression possible. I'd love to welcome our C customs and border protection team, port director Marisella Perez is with us. Thank you, Marisella. And we have uh chiefs Bernardet Garcia and Juanosario with us. Thank you both. What a what a wonderful welcome you had today. Thank you. I also want to thank leadership uh from a number of other groups that have really helped to make today possible, including the Greater Phoenix Economic Council, uh the Arizona Office of Tourism, Arizona Lodging and Tourism Association, uh and the Support Sky Harbor Coalition to name just a few. The Arizona Commerce Authority also is with us. We're so grateful to all of you. It takes a team to make an event like this happen. Uh please join me in giving everybody a round of applause who I didn't acknowledge. Well, now it's my distinct pleasure to uh introduce and welcome to the podium for remarks our leader, Mayor Kate Ggo. Mayor, the friendliest island and the friendliest airport are now connected. Taipei, welcome to Phoenix. Director General Chi, leaders of the Starlux Airline, we are so happy at this partnership. Starlux was the first airline to announce international service between Asia and the city of Phoenix and we are so pleased that today has come. So, welcome to Phoenix. We're also thrilled to welcome the chairman of the airline, but he is not with us because he is on mandatory rest because he was the captain of our plane. A very special flight. The city of Phoenix has been sister cities with Taipei for 47 years and we have benefited so much together from incredible cultural partnerships, great food to economic activity. As many of you know, I have been talking about non-stop service between Asia and Phoenix for a decade. Uh Mr. Brown can attest to that. We've been talking about that and now we are so pleased to have wonderful partnerships. Taipei could not be a more important partner to us and the country of Taiwan. In Phoenix, we are proud to be home to the largest foreign direct investment in our country's history, which is Taiwan semiconductors investment in the city of Phoenix. Just one of one of the many ways that the city of Phoenix has benefited from our partnership with Taiwan. So, we are so thankful to the government of Taiwan. We were just hosted by the president and vice president and they expressed the deep affection. The president of Taiwan shared that Phoenix and Taiwan are like brothers, almost so close that we're twins and this really shows that important friendship. So, director general, thank you for all you have done for the people of Phoenix. And we are excited that the people of Phoenix will get to visit Taipei. I hope it will be a gateway for any Asian vacation. Everyone in Phoenix should want a selfie with Taipei 101, the incredibly tall building, or to have the the wonderful cuisine, the great dumplings, to visit the night markets, to enjoy the wonderful urban hiking. We are two cities with beautiful mountains in our cities, but theirs are much greener than ours. So, I hope so many people who have not had a chance to visit Taipei will take the wonderful service we now offer out of Sky Harbor. Starlux is a new airline with brand new planes and great friendly friendly staff. So, we look forward to filling your planes and to this deep deep partnership. It's time to start thinking about your your next vacation and Taiwan should be at the top of your list. We also believe this will be a gateway across Asia that there will be so many other destinations you will want to travel to, but starting in Taiwan and then when you return, thanks to our great team at Customs and Border Patrol, you'll have the the fastest and most friendly welcome when you come back. We have the best team with our customs here. So, thank you for the partnership. We are lucky to have Chad Makovsky and his great team leading Sky Harbor. They worked so long and hard to make this happen. So to Roxanne, Lexi, Sabine, and our entire Phoenix Aviation team, everyone who worked on this deal. Thank you so much. This deal was a long time coming. Christine Mackey and I traveled to Taiwan in October of 2019 and invi met with Glenn. Think about how long ago that was. And Glenn tells us his team has been looking at our numbers ever since. So, we appreciate you investing in Phoenix and and making this decision. When we went to visit Starlux, the chairman actually wasn't there because he was out testing planes to buy them. And uh he bought planes that have a lot of parts made in Phoenix. So, lots of wins there. But as you can see from all the awards they've won, Starlux is a top tier airline and we are very excited to have you serving the people of Phoenix. Uh the mayor of Taipei asked me to send greetings to everyone and encourage you to visit. Uh he wanted me to recommend the stinky tofu. I have not tried it, so I cannot personally recommend it. But for our brave adventurers, there's incredible culinary diversity in the country of Taiwan and city of Taipei. So whether you're traveling for business or for pleasure, we hope that you have an incredible time. I was honored to lead the delegation with Annne O'Brien, our councilwoman for district 1, who is our sister city lead with Taipei. And and councilwoman, thank you for all of the great work we have done together. We met with aerospace, uh, tourism, obviously semiconductors, and a big week for Taiwan and the United States. There is no city that benefits more in the United States from the partnership with Taiwan. And, uh, that partnership is getting dramatically bigger. So, uh, really exciting time to our vice mayor who serves the airport district. Thank you for your support and passion. And then I want to do a special thank you to David Drenin on my team who helped make this partnership happen and and deepens our relationship with Taiwan. So we're excited to fill Alaska and American Airlines seats with people coming through Starlux to Phoenix and and do the reverse. And this just really is a beautiful day for our incredible sister city partnership with Taipei. So Starlux, welcome to Phoenix. Thank you so much for those great remarks. Uh, Mayor, um, what what an amazing day. And I actually forgot and I'm remiss and I want to apologize. A very important leader with Starlux is with us and I I failed to introduce him. Uh Simon Lou, chief strategy officer for Starlex Airlines is with us. Simon, thank you. You've been a great partner. Uh so next up uh to to say a few words, uh it's my uh distinct pleasure to introduce uh the director general of Taipei and Economic Cultural Office of Los Angeles, Amino Chi. Amino, the honorable Kate Ggo, mayor of the Phoenix, and Mr. Glen Chai, CEO of the Starlock Airlines. Ladies and gentlemen, good evening. This is my great honor to represent the government of Taiwan here in this vibrant valley of the sun to celebrate the Starlocks Airlines inaugural flight between Taipei and Phoenix. This is more than just a new route. It is also a meaningful milestone in the close partnership between Taiwan and the United States. Mayor Ggo has just laid a delegation to Taiwan and taken this inaugural flight from Taipei to Phoenix. I believe this journey has made everyone feel that distance between our two sides is closer than ever. Arizona has become one of Taiwan's key partners in the global semiconductor industry and Phoenix is now a cherished second home for many Taiwan n families. The D flight's response to the growing demands for business technology and the tenant exchanges. It strengthens supply chains resilience and connects two important technology hubs seamlessly. Beyond business, we also look forward to tourism opportunity this route will bring. Taiwan offers a world-class cuisine, rich culture and a stunning national scenery. Arizona's Grand Canyon and deserts are equally captivating. Through Starlocks airlines excellent service, we warmly welcome friends from Arizona to experience timeless warms, hospitality, and incredible culture. I sincerely thank the Starbucks Airlines team for their vision and the Arizona and Finn government for their support. And this new route is a testament to the strong partnership been uh a strong partnership between Taiwan and United States. and I look forward to the shared success you were faster. Finally, I wish Starux Airlines Taipei Phoenix route full flights, smooth operation and the step journey. Thank you so much. >> Thank you, Director General Chi. Um, so you know, we at Sky Harbor are are very fortunate to uh have strong relationships with the airlines that serve our community. Uh and none is uh more strong than the one uh we have with our largest airline here, American Airlines. They continue to be the largest carrier of our community with more than 200 daily departures to nearly 100 non-stop destinations around the US. And this connection that they've now forged with Star uh Starlock really takes our relationship to a whole new level. So, it's my uh distinct privilege to introduce a leader who's played a really key role in developing this airline partnership and making today possible. Please join me in welcoming to the stage, Mr. Mr. Jeff Olgar. So on behalf of American Airlines and our 130,000 team members, I just want to congratulate Starlux on the launch of your new service between Phoenix and Taipei. So partnerships to us are about really three things. creating long-term mutual benefit for our customers, expanding our networks, and really benefiting the communities we serve here in Phoenix, in Taipei, and around the world. So, I I want to share a little story about how tonight came to be um and the power of these partnerships. So, it was almost a year ago to the day I went in my calendar and I looked and it was I think a year ago Thursday was having dinner with the Starlux team and we were hashing out how we were going to do an airline partnership and we're having a a good time and good conversations and we said, "What if we just instead of connecting your Ontario flight to our Phoenix hub, why don't you just fly to Phoenix? Just do that." And we just, you know, it was just an idea. So to be here 51 weeks later and to see the the beautiful Starlux Airline commit, I mean, it just it it's humbling and incredible to see this happen. I mean, we proudly call Phoenix a hub and a home. We serve more than 100 destinations across the US and Mexico. We connect our two networks between the United States and Asia with 300 peak daily departures. And it's just really incredibly gratifying and humbling. I also want to brag about Starlux a little. When it comes to partnerships, it's not just where you fly. Do you have the kind of product that our customers are going to value? And do you have people who share the values that we have at American Airlines? I'm thrilled to have Alex here from Alaska Airlines, one of our really tremendous partners. And I'm even more thrilled to have a new partner here today in Starlux. It's an incredible team. The product is first class, whether it be the the seat or the food or the in-flight entertainment. But you know what makes it great? It's not any of those things. It's the people. The people on the flight. It was an incredible experience. I I had the the privilege to visit the Starlux team in Taipei last year. They they showed me their beautiful city and and I agree the the hills are a lot greener there. Um I did some running. It was a lot steeper than Dallas Fort Worth tends to be. But even more than than the partnership and and all of that, what I value is you're all my friends. We have formed not just a partnership, but a friendship. And I think the the people in Phoenix are going to see just what a wonderful, wonderful carrier Starlux is, and they're going to love flying the airline. for our advantage members here in Phoenix and around the world. We are looking at ways to really give you more access to Taipei to Asia when you're flying routes served by this partnership to to give you what you expect from American Airlines uh and really broaden that. So Glenn, Simon, the whole Starlock team, congratulations on launching this service. I can't wait to build this partnership and and develop it for the future. Thank you. Thank you, Jeff. Uh, and and speaking of Alaska Airlines and the partnership there, we're really grateful to have the Alaska team with us, uh, airlines team with us as well. Joining us today is managing director of partnerships and international at Alaska Airlines, Mr. Alex Judson. Alex, hi everyone. Good evening. First of all, congratulations to Starux. Um, we are so pleased for this moment and so excited for the milestone you're celebrating. Um, Alaska's partnership with Starlux began around three years ago. It was April of 2023 and Starlux had just started their first flight to the west coast of the US to Los Angeles. And, you know, we just were so pleased because we got this opportunity to work with such an amazing new airline. And you know, from the beginning, we we noticed this shared commitment, the shared commitment to exceptional service to premium guest care and this natural bridge that was created between Taipei and the West Coast and now Phoenix. Today, this milestone complements an already incredible network that Starlock is building, whether to Seattle, to San Francisco, to Los Angeles, Ontario, and Phoenix. And this new service is a win. It's it's a win for travelers. It's a win for all the airlines here today and it's a win for the communities that we serve. One of the ways we at Alaska measure the strength of our partnerships is by asking our guests. So, we send them surveys after they've traveled on our partners. I want to share with you a few verbatim comments that our Atmos Rewards members have shared about traveling on Starlux. First, Starlux provided a next level travel experience. They truly lived up to their SkyRacks five-star rating. Here's another one. Best service and food I've ever had in business class. To be honest, that one hurt a little. We were pretty jealous. These aren't just compliments. They are reflections of the care that the Starlux team puts into every detail of every flight. Here's to a partnership that continues to raise the bar and to many successful flights ahead. Congratulations Starlux and congratulations, Phoenix. Thank you. Thank you so much for being with us, Alex. Uh those are great comments and and I would echo that. That was my experience as well. So, not the part about your your service, but the part about Starlux, the service is fantastic. Um, so at this time I'm extremely honored to welcome our distinguished guests from Starlock uh Airlines. We're incredibly grateful to you all, as you know, for your commitment to connecting our two great cities and our communities for a vibrant future. Uh we really appreciated all of their efforts through uh the past couple of years as we've worked to develop this. Your local team has been amazing to work with. Uh and it's now my distinct pleasure to introduce the uh president and CEO of Starlex Airlines, Mr. Glenn Chai. Uh, Mir Gigle and Vice Mayor H Washington and Jeff from our both a very important partnership in the states and Jeff from American Alliance and Alex from Alaska Alliance. Distinguished guest, good evening. We are so honored to have you with us today to celebrate the debut of our finished Taipei flight. Actually, back to uh 2019 when Starux was still in the early stage, we've seen the great tourism and uh business potential of Phoenix. So, we've had this city in our network plans from the very beginning. After five years of preparations, the route was officially confirmed last year and Finn actually offers very strong potential in both business and tourism. It has emerged as a major hub for innovation driven by the rapid expansion of technology companies. This dynamic growth highlights Finn's uh unique ability to combine to reason with technological u advancement. Through this new route, Star Airlines helps to further strengthen business and tourism ties between Finn and Taiwan. Star Airlines is pleased to partner with American allies. Travelers from more than 40 US cities can seamlessly connect to Taiwan in our war flights to 26 Asia destinations. With uh this co um collaborations, we aim to build a more convenient, efficient transfer network attracting both business travelers and connecting passengers traveling between Finn and Asia. Finally, I would like to uh once again thanks all our distinguished guests and passengers for joining us at today's inaugural ceremony. Star Airlines will still uh continue to pursue the excellence and innovation delivering uh safe and premium traveling experience for every each passengers. We look forward welcoming you on board very soon. Thank you. Thank you very much. Thank you, Glenn. And uh I I wasn't going to say this, but I I thought about it and I I feel I must. Um I owe you a actually a personal debt of gratitude because your starting this service created an opportunity for me to form a new partnership and friendship. And what uh my uh team doesn't know is that on the last day, right before we got on your flight, I got to spend the afternoon with the president and CEO of the Taipei airport. And uh we got to have a very good discussion about the airport and what they're working on, their challenges, their successes. I got to share about our challenges and successes. Uh a lot of similarities. We have parallel runways. We both have two terminals. We're working on building a third. Uh we, you know, we both have challenges with roadway constraints and and and it was a a wonderful experience to have that opportunity to visit with them. And I've I've got new partnerships thanks to you. So, thank you very much, sir. I appreciate it. I also just want to in in closing comments just wanted to mention how big a deal this really is and I think you probably sense that just in the discussion we had but the airport's most recent economic impact study shows that international flights contribute more than $3.4 billion uh to the local economy each year and this flight is expected to generate over 170 million each year statewide. So this this service is a very big deal. Thank you so very much. Well, this concludes our formal comments. Uh now we're going to move on to the next uh uh portion of the ceremony where we're going to do a ribbon cutting. And I'm going to introduce each uh person who will come uh to the area. We have your your names marked out here. Uh and we're going to assist you with that as we bring out the ribbon, the official ribbon. First up, president CEO of Visit Phoenix, Ron Price. Please come up. You're going to be on stage left. President, CEO of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council, Chris Mackey, right over here, managing director of partnerships and international at Alaska Airlines. Alex Judson, head of airline partnerships at American Airlines. Jeff Ogar, I was going to introduce myself. I won't do that. Um, uh, Councilwoman Anne O'Brien, please come up to the stage. Good afternoon. It is January 27th and we are pleased to welcome you to the policy meeting for the Phoenix City Council. I'll call the meeting to order. We'll begin with council information follow-up requests and we'll begin with Councilwoman Hernandez. >> Thank you, Mayor. Um for my district seven highlight, I would just like to take a moment to call attention to what has happened nationally and also within um my district. This year, ICE under the direction of our current president has murdered nine people in 2026. And yesterday, ICE raided local businesses and took Phoenix residents. I want to remind us all that we are under attack and that we as a city need to get ready and figure out how we are going to protect our residents. We stand in solidarity with Minnesota and the Minneapolis protesters and would ask you to please join me in a moment of silence for those lost. >> Thank you, Mayor. >> Thank you, Councilwoman. We'll next go to Councilwoman Gordado, followed by Vice Mayor Hud Washington. >> Thank you, Mayor. Um, it's it's wonderful to be back to our first policy meeting of the year. My team and I are excited about the opportunities ahead and committed to making this year truly impactful for our community. District 5 has an incredible lineup of events planned, and we'll soon share our full calendar so you can mark your favorites. For now, we're thrilled to kick things off with our very first event, setting the tone for everything to come. Join us on Saturday, February 7th, from 12:00 p.m. to 4 p.m. at the Mville Community Center for our kickoff, Mville Marcado. We're excited to welcome back our amazing District 5 small businesses and invite new businesses to reach out and learn how you can get involved. Mville Marcado is all about community, creating a safe, welcoming space for families and neighbors to gather, enjoy delicious food, fun activities, and games. We hope to see you there. Additionally, while our pools are closed for the season, summer will be here before we know it. The parks and reccks department is currently accepting lifeguard applications, and we encourage everyone to apply so we can fill all positions in time for a busy pool season. Keep in mind that priority will be given to applications submitted by March 16, 2026. I can't wait to see how many smiling faces come to our Phoenix pools throughout the valley. Let's make this a year to remember. Thank you so much Mayor. >> Thank you, Vice Mayor, and then Councilwoman Pastor. >> Thank you so much, Mayor. I just wanted to start off by saying since our last policy meeting, we've had several community engagement. And I want to start off by thanking city manager Ed Zurker for taking the time to attend the most recent land reuse strategy community meeting. Your presence really meant a great deal to those residents and I appreciate the continued commitment to listening directly to those community members. As this work moves forward, I also want to thank everyone that made the District 8 holiday party such a meaningful event for our families. With nearly 1,000 RSVPs, every child in attendance was able to leave with a gift. Those efforts truly made a difference for our district 8 residents during the holiday season. I would also like to highlight shop with a cop and shop with a firefighters which gave students the opportunity to purchase Christmas gifts for themselves and their families whilst alongside our law enforcement. Stepping in to support our residents in this way is something that meant a great deal to me. And then last but not least, I want to also thank the office of homeless solutions for partnering on a shoe giveaway just before Christmas. It was a lastm minute ask and they were able to do that without any hiccups. Together we distributed more than 3,000 pairs of shoes across five shelters. Today is the annual point in time count and I want to recognize the staff, partners, and volunteers who were out in the field early this morning helping us get a better understanding and address of how we can address homelessness in our city. I know it was an early morning, but this work is critical and will continue to guide our efforts as we move forward. And last but not least, on Monday, February 2nd, we will kick off this year's series of Coffee with Kesha at 10:00 a.m. at the Broadway Heritage Neighborhood Ser Neighborhood Center. I hope to see you there. And if you miss it, we will also be doing our next one on February 5th, March 2nd, and March 5th. Those are my updates. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you so much, Vice Mayor, Councilwoman Pastor. >> Thank you. Thank you, Mayor. I'll wait for my slides. Thank you. Um, obviously this is the first policy session of 2026 and I'd like to go back and share a bit of work we have done the last year in district 4. In 2025, next slide. In 2025, I was elected as chair of Valley Metro Rail Board as well as treasurer of the Valley Metro RPTA board. In 2025 was also a milestone year. We completed construction and open South Central light rail extension. This 5.5 mile extension marked the evolution of light rail, transforming it into a two-lane system that we have now. We originally expected this to open in 2034, but thanks to transportation 2050, we were able to get South Central up and running 9 years ahead of time. It is a privilege to serve on the board of directors and collaborate with my colleagues from across the valley to share how to best serve our respective communities. Today also happens to be the 2-year anniversary of the Northwest Extension Phase 2. The 1.6 mile extension has served over 1.3 million trips. This project added three more light rail light rail stations, the first elevated station, a four-story park and ride, a new transit center named after former Phoenix mayor and Councilwoman Thelda Williams. This was also the first time light rail went went over the I17. In 2025, we funded uh resident and communitydriven projects using our participatory budget, including Amigos's blockwatch water safety event. The annual familyfriendly water slide blockatch with Dolores is hosting in front of her home and has done this for decades. speed hump for Kinden Lane and 50th Avenue. Residents from this neighborhood needed help paving paying for muchneeded speed humps. The Carl Hayden High School handball team. The team used funds to participate in the state tournament. Movie nights in parks across District 4. Alhamra Neighborhood Association, Mville Blockwatch, the Osborne School District hosted free movie nights for residents and families in three different parks. In district 4, we are working on making affordable housing units more readily available. Next slide. In 2025, we had 282 total affordable housing units open and begin or begin construction. Also in 2025, the city of Phoenix reached our goal of creating or preserving 50 50,000 housing units five year ahead 5 years ahead of 2030 goal we set in the housing Phoenix plan. Here's to more in 2026 and beyond. Next slide. With federal assistance up in the air, the VFW720 reached out for me for help. They encountered veterans who needed clothes, food, and assistance. We opened the veteran service center in May, offering a food and clothing pantry, temporary housing, and access to computers and Wi-Fi. All of these services are free for veterans and their family. The Veterans Service Center is located in the VFW Post 720 at 4853 East Thomas Road. This year, I began organizing monthly community cleanups through throughout District 4. Beginning in April, we hosted a cleanup with Morris Day Kudall Middle School for for Cesar Chavez Day. After taking a break for the summer from the summer heat, we went to Willow Park and the neighborhood near 27th Avenue in Van Beurren for our September cleanup. Since then, we've we've continued going around District 4, getting residents together and beautifying our neighborhoods. Our next cleanup is February 21st. You can scan the QR code or contact my office and to sign up. Last year, we worked with community organizations to host our first bike to workday. um bike ride. We join forces with Urban Phoenix Projects, Phoenix spokespeople, Downtown Phoenix, Inc., and so many other groups doing incredible work to advocate for road and bike safety. This event was a huge success, and I look forward to doing it again this year. Stay tuned for more details. District 4 has some of the most active and dedicated neighborhood groups and block watches. Next slide. I always have fun attending all kinds of events hosted by our neighborhoods such as game events, street fairs, block parties, and a and unique to district 4 are home tours. We are g gearing up for home tour season now. Willow and Coronado are the first in February. Community events like these show what's possible when residents come together and collaborate with different different city resources. Next slide. District 4 is in the heart of the Phoenix, which means we get to host some of the wonderful events Phoenix Pride is a very popular and loved tradition at Steel Indian School Park as well as the parade going up Third Street. This year, I partnered with the Arizona Asian Chamber of Commerce to host the first Asian-Americans and Pacific Islander music festival in the state. We chose to give some love to Solano Park. Thank you to Vic, Ryan, and the entire team at the Asian Chamber for their for your dedication to this project and many others in and around the International District. 2025 also marked the second year of 602 day, a project spearheaded by the city manager's office to highlight local businesses and activities in Phoenix, hence the 602 and 602 day. Many establishments in Phoenix offered discounts and deals on June 2nd, including McKenzie's Midtown Tavern. The mayor and I enjoyed a pastor. For months, I've been having discussions on capex and extending light rail to West Phoenix and Mville with community members. The District 4 team had surveys completed at different community events. Next slide. I joined Councilwoman Wardado, Councilwoman Hernandez for a meeting in Mville to further discuss the issue. I've also seen and heard a lot through social media and residents sharing their thoughts and their voice through comments. We will have this discussion in a bit, but I wanted to share that residents truly care about this issue. Before I end, I wanted to share that two incredibly passionate and dedicated community leaders in District 4 have passed. Next slide. Phoenix has lost two giants. Brad Bower, the president of Willow Historic Neighborhood Association, and Ginger Maddox from FQtory. I had the priv privilege of working with and learning from both of these leaders. They were fierce advocates for their neighborhoods and unwavering believers in preserving the history and character of our city. They leave a lasting legacy and will be deeply missed. My thoughts are with their families and the Willow and FQ story neighborhoods. Next slide. Please re reach out to my office for any questions or concerns. Also, subscribe to District 4 newsletter and follow District 4 on social media to stay updated on events, meetings, and more. Thank you, mayor. >> Thank you so much. Additional comments. I want to uh echo your recognition of really important community leaders who who we lost too soon. I also want to take a moment to focus our attention on the Colorado River, a lifeline to Phoenix and our neighboring cities, to the farms in Yuma that provide winter vegetables for the entire country, and the heartbeat of the Grand Canyon, a national and international treasure. This river serves 40 million people across seven basin states, Arizona, Nevada, California, New Mexico, Utah, Colorado, and Wyoming, as well as Mexico. It brings life to critical ecosystems and powers the industry that makes up our economy in Phoenix. This industry includes the most advanced microchips in the world, essential medical devices and other manufacturing that is central to our national economy and security. Unfortunately, long-term drought andification have resulted in a smaller river with less water. The current set of rules that control how these water resources are divied up will expire at the end of this year. The federal agency that has jurisdiction over the river, the Bureau of Reclamation, is proposing significant cuts to stabilize the whole system. But the bulk of these proposed reductions would fall on central Arizona with none on the upper states, Colorado, New Mexico, Utah, and Wyoming. This is unacceptable and ignores the devastating ramifications for our population and our national economy. We did not cause the long-term drought and should not alone bear the consequences of a smaller river. Phoenix has an incredible legacy of water stewardship. Today, we use 30% less water than per person than we did 30 years ago, despite significant population and economic growth. We have a robust water portfolio, more than half of which is supplied by the Salt River. We have groundwater savings, are prepared for shortages, and are committed to continuous improvements in conservation. However, the importance of a continuous supply of water in the central Arizona project cannot be overstated. Many other cities rely on even more heav more many other cities rely even more heavily on the Colorado River than does Phoenix. And even if even one central Arizona municipal provider is perceived to be unable to meet the water needs of its community, it will deal a really difficult blow to Arizona's economy and our national economy. Not to mention the interruptions to everyday life of Arizona residents. Municipalities, other Colorado River users, and our national economy deserve a fair, viable plan that requires all seven states to live with a smaller river to secure an equitable future for all. Thank you. Any additional comments before we close this portion, uh, Vice Mayor Haj Washington, who very active in this area. >> Thank you, Mayor. I just want to chime in. and I serve I represent the city as their treasurer and secretary on Arizona municipal water uses association and the um draft environmental impact study that you were mentioning has been discussed with the cities that are involved and it is being hopefully taken seriously given the impact that the study would um have on our cities and I think this is just an avenue for us to continue to educate the citizens of our city and neighboring cities that this is something that we all need to be united on and it's something that we need to take very seriously. So, thank you, mayor, for highlight for taking this opportunity to highlight um the importance of the upcoming um Colorado River um guideline and negotiations. >> Thank you so much. All right, we'll move on to the next items. Uh consent agenda. There is no consent agenda for this meeting. Call for an executive session. I will recognize the vice mayor for a motion for executive session. >> Thank you, mayor. I move to expand the agenda for the executive session meeting schedule for Tuesday, February 3rd, 2026 to include additional topics under ARS 38 431.03 sections A3 and A4 with the agenda to be posted at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting. Second, >> we have a motion and a second. All those in favor say I. >> I. Any opposed? Nay. We do not have any city manager reports today. So, we will go on to agenda item one, which is the public safety update. Back in September of 2024, this council unanimously adopted a sweeping set of reforms to modernize our police department and continue to rebuild trust between our police and all those we serve. We committed that long after the Department of Justice was gone, we'd keep at it, doing our part to create a safer Phoenix for everyone. As part of that, we directed staff to update the council and the public on a regular basis about how these reforms are working, as well as other efforts from our police and civilian leadership to make Phoenix Police Department the very best and most professional law enforcement agency in the country. The trust we continue to build is essential, especially as we witness an erosion of trust in federal law enforcement and concerns that the kind of unlawful tactics we've seen used in other parts of the country could be used here. I'll turn it over to Assistant City Manager Lori Ba to begin today's presentation. Uh, but first I want to note this could be a long meeting and we will likely break around 5:00 p.m. for a brief break. And now, thank you to our assistant city manager and appreciate all your hard work on this. >> Thank you, mayor. Good afternoon, mayor and members of the council. We are here today to provide you an update on the public safety action items and directives as the mayor mentioned which were approved by the city council in September of 2024. This is our fifth update to the council on the approved items and today we are going to focus specifically on updates since our last presentation to you which was our annual update in September of 2025. Joining me today from the police department are Chief Matt Gerardano, Assistant Director Jody Wolf, Assistant Chief Jeff Benza, from the Community Assistance Program Program Administrator DC Ernst, and from the Office of Accountability and Transparency Director Shannon Yani. I want to start by thanking the mayor and council for your leadership on this issue. And as we maintain our continued focus on improving public safety in the city of Phoenix, it is important before we begin the presentation today that I take a moment to emphasize the critical importance of transparency and accountability in public safety and to reaffirm our unwavering commitment to these principles as we move forward. It is also important to remember why we do this work. We do it for our community and we will continue and we commit to continue to improve and to respond to the needs of all members of our community. We will have successes and we will make mistakes and when we do, we will take accountability for them. As I said in our first policy meeting regarding these action items in September of 2024, it is my strong conviction that accountability and supporting our public safety employees are not mutually exclusive. We can and will do both. I want to start by thanking all of the amazing city employees that have contributed to the progress you will hear about today. Each area we will discuss today will demonstrate our ongoing commitment to improvement through enhanced policies, programs, training, and accountability. And to begin the presentation and provide an update on the work of the police department, I will turn it over to Chief Matt Judano. Chief, >> thank you. Lori, mayor, members of council, thank you for this opportunity to be here today. Before I begin the presentation, I I just wanted to touch on something that Assistant City Manager Bae said is that um I think we're we'd all agree we're in unique times and I think it's really important and I want to reaffirm the department's commitment, my commitment to full transparency, the ability to engage in a willingness to engage in tough conversations and continually looking for ways to provide better level of service to the community that we serve. So before I I begin, I just wanted to tell you that that's my commitment to you. Uh and I take that very seriously. But when I came in before you in September, I I unveiled my new strategic plan or my my new guiding principles called lead with pride. And just to recap, it's lead. So leadership at every level, engagement with the community and employees, accountability at all levels in all of our processes, as well as dedication to our mission. With that information, I'm creating a strategic plan. The strategic plan will be built around lead with pride. It will include continuous improvement, community engagement, business operations, as well as crime reduction. We believe that building this together will make the city of Phoenix a safer place. But we're going to do this, and we're not going to do it alone. We're going to solicit input and direction from city leadership, from mayor and council, from our community partners, as well as all of our employees. And with that, we believe we'll create a sustainable plan that will have deliverable and measurable goals that we'll evaluate annually. And I'm really excited as we move forward with this. What we'll do now is I'm going to turn the presentation over to Assistant Director Jody Wolf who will talk about some exciting technology updates and then assistant chief Benza will cover some process improvements that we were undergoing. So I'll turn it over to Assistant Director Wolf now. Thank you, Joey. Thank you, Chief Gordono, Mayor, members of council. It's exciting to be here today to share with you some technology initiative updates, three of which we have been working on very diligently over the course of the last few months. The first of which is the records management system or RMS. The second that I'll be sharing with you is the real-time customer engagement tool. And the third which I will close on is the public sentiment survey platform. The first technology update I'll be providing is our records management system or RMS. As you all know, we went live on September 9th, 2025 and we've been working since that time frame on completing all of the required go live activities and we're nearing completion. As we move forward, we'll be focusing on in the next phase of the project system optimizations and upgrades which will help us improve the performance and add additional capabilities of the system. Since go live, we've been focused on two really important activities. The first of which is updating our crime reporting from the UCR crime reporting that most people are familiar with to the national incident-based reporting system or neighbors. You'll hear us talk about NYERS quite a bit going forward. This is a modern way of reporting crime data and is more accurate than what we have been reporting historically. It allows us to report all offenses for each individual incident, including both completed and attempted crimes. In order to achieve Nyber certification and report that data to the FBI, we have to share three consecutive months of data with our state administrating agency, which is the Arizona Department of Public Safety. I am very happy to share with you today that we achieved Nyber certification on January 8th, 2026 earlier this month. This is a huge milestone for our department and for our city and it wouldn't have been possible without the support of council as well as the hard work of all of our teams. The next activity that we've been very much focused on is providing enhanced data reporting that council had requested. This includes adult arrests, juvenile referrals, calls for service, time spent on calls, subject and vehicle stops, city parks, and adult arrests. Before this meeting, we shared the last quarter of 2025 data with all of you per these enhanced data council reports. And going forward, we'll continue to share these with you on a quarterly basis. So you'll receive your next update in April. The next technology update is focused on a real- time customer engagement tool called Community Connect. This is an innovative public safety engagement solution that allows us to automatically send updates to 911 callers, crime victims, and reporting parties. These are realtime notifications that allows us to also share them in a multilingual capacity. It also affords us extended support to victims that carries information sharing with them throughout the history of their case, not just the initial incident. And then one of the greatest tools that this platform affords us is the opportunity to receive feedback from those individuals after each engagement with them. Over the course of 2025, we shared 1.6 million automated messages. And for those individuals that responded to the request for feedback, 74% reported that they were satisfied with the department. This tool also allows us to gauge our customer service satisfaction. And over that same time frame, the overall department satisfaction score was 3.94 out of five stars. The overall officer satisfaction score was 4.39 out of five stars and the overall communications team's satisfaction score was 4.21 out of five stars. The final technology initiative update that I'll be providing to you is on our public sentiment survey platform which is Zin City's blockwise program. This is a tool that allows us to gauge public sentiment. It allows us to understand how the community sees the police as well as how they feel about the police. The cornerstone metrics associated with this tool are those related to procedural justice. They include how safe do people feel in our community? How fair do they believe the department is? Do they feel that the department respects them? and do they feel that they have a voice in policing matters? We launched this program six months ago and to date through the end of December collected over 15,000 responses based on our first first six months of data collection. Here's what our residents told us in comparison to our regional cohort. Now, the regional cohort is a collection of cities that also participate in the blockwise program, primarily in the southwest and also those cities in the state of Arizona. So, our residents told us that 56% of them feel safe in their community in comparison to 59% in the cohort. 52% believe that the department is treated them fairly as compared to 54% in the regional cohort. 63% feel that the department treats them with respect in comparison to 64% in the regional cohort and 63% report that they have a voice in policing matters in comparison to 63% in the regional cohort. This establishes our baseline level that allows us going forward to be able to understand how we can align resources to those things that the community has identified as important to them. We will also be working with city staff and Zinc City to create a public dashboard so that everyone has access to this information going forward. And now I'm going to turn it over to Chief Benza who will provide an update on several of our other efforts. Thank you, Jody. Mayor, members of council, thank you for allowing us to be here to share with you some updates we've made since the September 9th policy meeting of this last year. Council identified 37 action items for us to work on. 29 of those have been handled. Nine of the 29 are considered complete but ongoing largely to the reporting requirements for each one of those. The eight remaining items have been listed in attachment A which has been given to you with this uh presentation to discuss where that uh where each item is in terms of its completion and its anticipated completion date. Since the September 9th policy meeting, the city is um has in partnership with the office of accountability and transparency has launched a uh a public portal which is an online platform as well as a hotline for people to call in complaints. Sorry, I didn't skip it. People to call in compliments and complaints about police department employees. The portal went live and the hotline went live on November 12th of last year. The community can now report complaints and compliments in person, by phone, and online. Phone calls and uh complaints in person can be taken by the Office of Accountability and Transparency or the Professional Standards Bureau offering an option and any urgent complaint will be handled with immediiacy as it has in the past. This tool will also allow us to report uh on a on a a quarterly and annually basis on the complaints that we're receiving, the number of allegations, and other metrics that council deems appropriate. so that we can report out what we're finding. At council's direction and following input from the community, the department created the first amendment activity support and management policy. This policy clearly details what the community can expect in terms of their safety when they're exercising their First Amendment rights and assembling uh to discuss matters that are concerned to them. The launch of the policy was on December 5th of last year and it was accompanied by training for all forward- facing employees. That training both elevates the employees knowledge of the First Amendment and um it uh it uh meets council's direction to refresh our training on First Amendment activities. Last year, the department began the process of revising our less lethal tools policies. These policies cover impact weapons, tasers, and irritants. Public comments have been received and reviewed. Updates to policies are being made, and substantive comments from those uh public comments have been used in the final draft to be presented to city leadership for approval. We intend to launch these policies next month. The department created its first ever youth interactions policy under the leadership of Councilwoman Wardado. This policy is focused on interactions with our youth separate from enforcement actions. The focus of the policy is to engage with youth and to understand the development of the youth mind. Prior to this policy being released to the community, we surveyed our youth through council's uh assistance with finding the children in the 18-year-olds and under uh population to survey. And 2,000 surveys were returned. 70% of those surveys were from uh youth 18 years and under. and we used their comments to help us to create this survey. Following that, we sent the survey out to the public for public comment. And the public comments that were received went in uh to our draft policy that will come out soon. We're hoping to have that and training available in April of 2026 to get our first uh youth interactions policy online. In partnership with the Office of Homeless Solutions, the department created a policy to direct our employees on how to interact with individuals experiencing homelessness. The focus of this policy is to offer services to people experiencing homelessness and how to handle the property of those people who are experiencing homelessness. A draft of this policy was made available to the public from November to December of last year. Public comments were reviewed and substantive comments from those comments were used in our final draft of that policy. Following approval, we hope to have that policy live in April of this year as well. The department is committed to uh to deliver um quality training to our employees. This training begins in the basic training or the uh new employee orientation and it will continue into inservice training for our existing employees. Some of the training highlights from our academy is instruction in cultural awareness, ethics and professionalism and customer service and active bystandership for law enforcement known as ABLE. With respect to the inservice, our employees are required to complete blocks of instruction on cultural awareness, procedural justice, customer service, and how to interact with our hearing impaired members of our community. With respect to our academy, the department has paid a particular attention to the delivery method of the instruction. We want to create an adult learning environment. We want to have our leadership there. Focus on creating critical thinkers, decision makers, problem solvers, and good communicators. The philosophy they're using is coach, train, and teach. We also made changes to our postcritical incident training, which is commonly known as our 30-day protocol following a critical incident. The changes to that are training at the academy based on communication tactics and our use of force policy. The training will be specific to the squads and individuals involved. And the idea is that the individuals who go into that uh protocol will come out better trained than they were when they went in to assist with crisis intervention calls for service that cannot be diverted. Where possible, the department is deploying our crisis certified crisis intervention certified officers from our behavioral health resource unit, commonly known as our crisis intervention team or CIT. The unit is comprised of two squads of seven officers and two sergeants who provide crisis intervention response across the city and also provide training to our department employees. The department uh has launched recently launched an incentive pilot program to gain more crisis intervention trained officers throughout the city. It is focused on gaining these additional officers and ensuring that existing certified officers are trained in the latest classes and information of the of the topic. One class recently offered and added to our coursework is a law enforcement autism training. This training is directly aligned with the mayor's vision for the city of Phoenix to become the most accessible city in the nation. And finally, finally, the department has implemented a crisis intervention review committee and the committee's purpose is to monitor the effectiveness of our crisis intervention response to ensure that we are meeting the needs of our community. I will now pass the presentation back over to assistant director. >> Thank you, Chief Benza, mayor, and members of council. Starting on December 15 of 2025, we created a new option for callers calling into our emergency centers. Call takers now ask call takers or call takers now ask callers, "Do you need police, fire, or behavioral health?" If caller requests behavioral health, operators still triage the call to determine whether a police or fire response is also necessary or if behavioral health professionals can handle the call without police or fire assistance. When only behavioral health is needed, the call will be transferred to our behavioral health dispatchers at the Phoenix Fire Department who will deploy a community assistance program team. The goal is to ensure the right help is sent to the right calls. This chart shows all of our calls, the total number of calls diverted to a behavioral health resource in 2025. This means that no police response was necessary. The green line indicates the total number of calls diverted. The yellow line indicates the number of calls that we transferred to behavioral health professionals, which means that no police or fire response was necessary. And then the orange line indicates the number of calls that were transferred to our behavioral health unit uh colleagues in the fire department. And it's really exciting development that I'm here to share with you today. For the first time ever, the total number of calls that we transferred to our BHU colleagues in the fire department exceeded the number of calls that went to our uh Solari professionals or behavioral health professionals at Solari. This is a new development obviously since the implementation of this new option for callers and so we're going to track this with a lot of attention moving forward and we'll be happy to share the results as we understand more broadly the impact of this change. And now it's my honor to turn the presentation to DC Ernst from the fire department for the next update. >> Thank you Assistant Director Wolf. Mayor, council members, it's an honor to be in front of you again today to provide you with an update on your $15 million investment in the community assistance program. Sorry. Uh, one of the primary goals of the funding and the investment was to establish an alternative response model for individuals experiencing behavioral health and substance use crisis. The community feedback made it clear that they were they strongly supported the option um beyond the traditional police and fire response uh particularly in situations with the primary issue was mental health or substance use. This presentation will focus on updating you on the behavioral health units development and implementation. Oops, sorry little fast there. Um, so the behavioral health teams, the ultimate goal with the $15 million was to create and implement nine behavioral health units. In June of 2025, we met that goal. We now have nine behavioral health units staffed, providing 24-hour coverage 7 days a week to respond to calls that are transferred to us from police communications or are asked for by officers or firefighters who are out on scene and identify the need. In March, we met the goal of having a dispatcher in fire dispatch to take those calls 24 hours a day, seven days a week. As assistant director Wolf talked about in December, PD Communications changed their call question to include behavioral health. This slide represents the change that we saw or the impact of that change. Um, as you can see, in December of 2025, we met an ultimate high, a transfer call volume of 701 calls. When you compare the total calls in 2024 to 2025, we've seen an increase by 128% of calls transferred. Calls for service represent the number of calls that our teams actually get dispatched to. This call is always higher than the number of calls transferred because as I spoke of earlier, fire department personnel and police department personnel once they get on a scene, if they identify a behavioral health unit is needed, they can request that outside of the 911 call. Again, in December, our teams responded out on 175 calls, which was an all-time high for our program. And in comparing 2025's call volume to 2024's, we've seen an increase of 96% in the total calls for service for our program. It's exciting to report that one of our one of our goals has always been to have a response time less than 25 minutes. And even with this um increased call volume and number of calls for service, we are maintaining that um status of responding to calls under 25 minutes. And in December, the average time was 20 minutes. As I said earlier, one of the main focuses of providing an alternative response is to provide an alternative to fire and PD responding out, which means the behavioral health units respond out without fire or police when the when this when the calls do not require that response. Um, in December, this is just a snapshot of December. Um throughout 2025 we saw that our singular's response was about at 73% and as you can see in December that also grew to a response of 75% of our calls do not require a fire or police response with the with the implementation of the new question. What we're are going to be also focusing on in the future is the calls um for co-response with both fire and police to see how that question impacts that. In addition, as we move forward, we'll continue to have a community assistance supervisor and police communications providing that connectivity between the two programs to help us identify calls in the future that can be sent to us um and to assist with the continuing education of new dispatchers as they come into the system. I'm also excited to report that as of this year, we will be presenting at every police pre-academy class on how they can access not only the behavioral health units but also the crisis response teams. And again, this is a collaboration with police communications as we go in there together to show the connectivity between what's going on in the systems. And finally, like I mentioned, we'll monitor that co-response to see if we see an impact on the call volumes there. I want to take this opportunity to provide you um an example of a recent call that we were dispatched out on. A behavioral health unit responded to an individual who was reporting um to have suicidal ideiations. That individual was already receiving services. In fact, they recently were released from a mental health hospital um and during that um time within the hospital, they had medication changes. When the team got on scene, they spoke with not only the individual that was in crisis, but that person's family member and determined that part of the concern and issues were they didn't understand the new medication and how it related to the medication that they had previously been taking. So with the family, we developed a plan and that individual agreed to go with our team members to another psychiatric urgent facility to get stabilized and to be reassessed and get a better understanding of the medication. That individual spent several days in that facility for stabilization and was released. Within two weeks of that release, our team members went back out on that individual just as a checkup. Nobody called 911. They weren't in crisis. We wanted to see how that individual and their family were doing. And what we learned in our second interaction with them were there are still needs. there were social service needs that they needed help finding food and having food delivered and they needed socialization opportunities. So, we again connected them with resources and we are planning on following up with them again to make sure that those resources are helping them out and helping stabilize that family. And with that, I'd like to turn the presentation over to Director Johani. Good afternoon, mayor, members of council, and members of the public. Recent events highlight how critical the need for accountability and transparency is not only in government, but also in law enforcement. I want to assure council, the public, and members of the community and members of city leadership that oat remains steadfast in its duty to ensure accountability and transparency within the Phoenix Police Department. So, before I get to those focus areas that oat does that through, I just have a few general updates. The first is that as of last week, Oat hit 93% staffing. Hopefully by the end of the first quarter of 2026, we will be 100% staffed for the first time in Oat history. That staffing will allow us to even further expand our reach within the Phoenix community and expand our ability to do those accountability and trans measure transparency measures we've been held to. Additionally, as you may see on the slide here, with the help of the city communications department, we have had a rebrand and are looking forward to building some informative videos and materials to share with mayor and council as well as members of the public that talk about the things that oat does as well as to highlight the work of our civilian review board. Finally, we are solidifying our relationship with the family advocacy center and the family advocates that work there to have concrete processes and procedures for sharing information and supporting impacted community members as one of Oat's mandates. With our newly our nearly fully staffed team, we are continually expanding in our five f our five focus areas. Reach, report, review, resolve, and repair. reach implicates our community engagement team, our youth outreach programs, and supporting those services to impacted community members. Our report team, we receive reports of complaints and commendations about the Phoenix Police Department. Our review team also takes our reports, but our review team reviews department administrative investigations to ensure they're thorough and complete and makes recommendations for future investigations. And resolve and repair impacts our inferences, our uh police community mediation program. So review reports and tracking. We are currently reviewing 159 department administrative investigations. We have published 41. We will have published 41 reports as of January 29th. Across all the reports that OD has published, we have issued 25 independent recommendations and the department has agreed with 23 of those 25 recommendations. To date, the department has implemented changes to operations orders or policy manuals for all except the sixth newest OAT recommendations. The first newest OATE recommendation since we met last in September is for a full professional standards bureau investigation for all level two and three uses of force that are used on visibly compliant subjects. Number two is a call for the department to meaningfully explore officers considerations of deescalation strategies when there are language barriers. The third, conduct a full professional standards bureau investigation for all level two and level three force used during a critical incident. Number four, interview field training officers when their current trainees are involved in critical incidents. Five, reference investigations and reviews of other policy violations into the final professional standards bureau report. And six, refer incidents involving use of a vehicle to strike a pedestrian or bicyclist to the critical incident review board chair. The Civilian Review Board has now conducted five business meetings to date. My apologies. Oat reports released monthly with department responses due in cases with recommendations approximately 30 days after the OAT report is published. The Civilian Review Board meets approximately 60 days after report publication to issue findings about OAT reports and department responses. Each oat report lists the date that the case will be heard by the board. Civilian reviewed board meetings are typically the fourth Friday of each month from 1 to 3 p.m. and are open to the public. The agenda with the location as well as the times are posted to the city clerk's website 24 hours in advance. Following presentations by oat and a PSB representative, the board issues findings on calendared reports and recommendations. The civilian review board has held five business meetings to date and all oat findings and recommendations have been accepted without revision. Oat staff forwards all board findings to the police chief and the city manager as well as posting the results to the city clerk after each meeting. As oat the department and the CRB work through OAT recommendations, department responses and CRB findings and recommendations. Oat staff will continue to track and report on the status of all recommendations, responses and implementation results. Oats community engagement team focuses on reach with the goal to share widely and consistently about Oat's role with those most likely to access Oats services. This team has connected with more than 16,000 community members since we began tracking in July 2024. The team has also tabled, attended, and presented at hundreds of events and organizations in the last year. With each each contact and each event, the OAT team continues to refine the message and method for best serving our community. In addition to this core function, the team has built and begun piloting Oat's inaugural youth outreach program, Reform Rising. We've shared with you all about the vision and value we hope for this program and are excited to continue the collaboration with you as we bring it to high school districts at high schools in your districts this fall. The initial pilot for Reform Rising started this fall at South Mountain South Mountain High School. 24 students, freshman to seniors, participated as a capstone to the semester. All the students reflected on issues and needs they see in their own communities. Hearing each student speak was powerful and inspir inspirational. They see all the people in their community and have a heart for equity, access, and empowerment. The community engagement team will continue to revise and refine the pilot to scale it up each subsequent semester. We look forward to sharing this pilot in your districts and for you to have the opportunity to see the brightness of these youth as we do. Oat supports resolve and repair through our mandate to conduct police community mediations to resolve disputes. Oat has built a mediation program that allows for both department and individual officer mediations. Department and individual officer mediations are voluntary, confidential, and held in a neutral setting so that everybody can engage in meaningful and thoughtful manners to resolve these issues. Oats mediation director has conducted and coordinated eight department level community police mediations to date. These department level mediations typically implicate systemic issues or broader issues or concerns within the police department. OD is very very close to finalizing the details of the individual officer mediation program and anticipate scheduling the first individual officer mediation within the next several weeks. Individual officer mediation serve as a one-to-one accountability mechanism of facilitated conversations between an officer and a community member as an alternative to the traditional dispute resolution process. Members of the community can reach out by phone, email, or in person at the old office, which is at 350 West Jefferson Street. We have folks available Monday through Friday, 8 am to 5:00 pm, to both answer the phones and to meet with folks in person to receive complaints or commendations. Members can also leave a voicemail or send an email and we'll respond within business hours. If there are any members of the public that are here today that have a complaint or a concern or a compliment for the police department, I will be available after this presentation. So, please find me. Thank you. Mayor, members of the council, that concludes our presentation and we'd be happy to answer any questions if you have any. >> Thank you so much for those important updates. Uh particularly DC, the the success story of the person in mental health crisis was really good to hear when we made the big investment in the CAP program. That was exactly what we were hoping. I want to again emphasize something Jod said. On December 15th, we went live with three options. Uh when I started at the city of Phoenix, we had police or we had fire. And now to have behavioral health and continue to make investments in growing that is a really big and important change. And so many people have worked so hard, continue to work so hard on that. A success story we heard from our community members, we need more options. We heard from our officers and firefighters that sometimes they weren't the best solution to someone going through a a challenge with addiction or other behavioral health challenge. So, still much more work to be done, but that that change at 911 was a small change in a phone script and a huge change for our city. We'll go to council member comments. Councilman Robinson. >> Thank you, Mayor. And I'll echo the mayor's comments about it was an exceptional presentation all the way through. If I could, I'd like to go back to and I believe Jody it might have been you dealing with the records management system. I I think what's important here and I think it's more of a comment on my part and I think I have a question in here for you, but what's most important is for folks to really understand the importance of a records management system for a police department, especially one our size. It becomes the official memory for that police department. If you could, Jody, if you could um talk about the importance of and it was on slide 10 is what I'm referring to where you have the enhanced data reporting, adult arrestes, city parks, juvenile referrals, and all those things. Could you or maybe the chief or whomever feels most comfortable in answering this question? Can you give us an idea or a sense of how this records management system will allow the Phoenix Police Department to be more proactive in its um in its everyday efforts establishing or identifying crime pro um crime patterns in advance because before we we really didn't have this level of um technology that would allow us to move forward in this area. >> Thank you, Mayor, members of council. Councilman Robinson, um I think that your question is very astute. Our records management system and our evolution into modern-day crime reporting is a significant advancement for our department. Um in addition to being the official record for all incidents within our department and calls for service that we respond to, it it allows us to understand how we work. Um it allows us to collect data that before today we weren't able to collect. For example, um demographics associated for those individuals that we engage with across those enhanced data reports that I mentioned to all of you. That was a specific council ask and it allows us to be able to share with council the demographics including age, race, gender, ethnicity, and housing status. That's information that we've never been able to be able to afford either council or the community. Having access to that type of information allows us to attempt to understand and answer questions that are of interest to all of us. Um questions that we are are incredibly important especially in today's environment to be able to answer. So that that is significant in terms of being able to afford our community um that information. We're only four months into this project. We're at the very beginning of our efforts and we expect and anticipate that our reporting capabilities and um our use of the records management system will advance moving forward. As I mentioned, we're going to be focusing on system optimizations and adding additional capabilities. to the second part of your question uh Councilman Robinson is the evolution into the NYERS reporting the national incident based reporting system and this is the modern way in which we report crime data historically it was through um uniform crime reporting UCR a lot of people are very familiar with that used to seeing that information but under that system you're only allowed to report based on a hierarchy of offenses that occur with each incident So the highest offense type is what gets reported. So if we have for example an aggravated assault, drug possession and so on, only the aggravated assault would be reported under UCR. Under neighbors, it allows us to report both of those offenses in addition to any other offenses to include those both those that are completed and attempted. So it'll allow us to understand more gr with more granular um perspective what crime is actually occurring in our community and then to develop strategies to prevent and control crime based on collaborations both with our city leaders, our council members and our community. >> Thank you for that. I it's you know I go back to my time with the police department. I I think I spent two and a half years working on a records management system and it takes that long. It is a um it it's an experience to say the least. And I'm glad Jody you mentioned neighbors. I know in this day and age with what's going on around the world with law enforcement and concerns that people have. Can you tell us how protected neighbors is and or if you can and who has access to neighbors? So in terms of creating that information or that data that is an ongoing process as officers engage and utilize RMS throughout their shifts throughout their cycles um that data then gets checked by our data integrity unit. So we're looking and there are certain parameters within the technology system that um flag neighbors priorities to ensure that we're collecting that neighbor's data. Then our data integrity unit reviews that information and then that information on that entire data set is transmitted to the Arizona Department of Public Safety. They do a quality a data quality review of that data once they receive it and they return it to us with particular or potential issues or questions. For the first three months of sharing that data with the Arizona Department of Public Safety, we had 0% errors. It is incredibly powerful and we're going to be able to see so much more into our systems than we've ever into our activities than we've ever been able to do before. In terms of how protected it is, obviously operators have to be crimally criminal justice information system certified or what we call sieges certified. Um they become terminal operators that allows them to utilize the system. That information once validated and reportable um after the review with the Arizona Department of Public Safety, then that information will become public. So, it'll get put on our open data portal. Um we report that up to the FBI. It becomes the baseline for our crime rates and the other types of metrics that people are used to seeing when it comes to u monitoring crime in our communities. >> Okay. And thank you. And I think one of my last questions deals with the real-time customer engagement tool. What can we expect from an extan uh from a standpoint of an expansion? How much how much more will we be seeing in the coming months, coming years on police activities and measuring that with with public satisfaction or dissatisfaction? Mayor, members of council, Councilman Robinson, um great question and it's something that I get really uh have a lot of passion for and before we started utilizing tools like community connect which is our customer engagement platform as well as uh our public sentiment tool, there wasn't a way to gauge how the impact except anecdotically was our presence or our activities were having in the community. Um and and beyond that, being able to understand individual performance at the officer and the communications operator level was data we never had access to. And so in order to make good decisions about how to improve performance for individuals that work within the department and routinely engage with our community, we need that type of information to understand where opportunities for improvement exist as well as where we're doing well. Um, I think that there's this is something that we've never had access to and frankly historically in law enforcement, we've never talked about customer satisfaction or how do we rate our performance from a community perspective. Um, especially in a datadriven way. So, these tools are going to be incredibly important to us moving forward. And I and I don't want to discount all of the services that that tool also affords those individuals that we engage with with the real- time messaging in a multilingual capacity so that they understand that their 911 call has been received, the officer has been dispatched, the officer is pending in however many minutes. And then after each engagement, the um respondent has an opportunity to tell us how we did. And that existence, that relationship of sharing information continues beyond the initial incident. And I think in in my mind, one of the most important things that this engagement tool affords us is to support those victims through the life of their case. If the suspect is outstanding and becomes arrested at some point in the future, that engagement tool allows that victim to know when that arrest is made. It allows them to know when their case has been adjudicated and that's information that historically has not been automated. It was a very manual process. So really powerful for our victims when we engage with them to have access to that information both seamlessly from an automated perspective and then there's a victim portal tool that they can log into and at when they want to find out what's going on with their case, who the detective is and what its status is. >> Okay. Thank you for that. And I think it is critically important that a the police department recognizes the you know customer satisfaction is truly important and something Chief Gordono had talked about that um our citizens the folks that we serve that we interact with understand exactly what it is we try to accomplish in our everyday activities. My next question I'll just kind of go down the line. Jody thank you very much. DC, if you don't mind, I had a couple questions for you with regard to the community assistance program and it is um you know head and shoulders above anything I have ever seen. We talked about this in subcommittee and the mayor is I think the mayor just made a comment about how important it is because before it used to be the police of fire. There wasn't that happy middle and I'm glad we have it now. Can you give us an idea of your your staffing levels and where you're at? Because I know you didn't talk about it here, but um you know, it's critically important. I think it's good for everyone to hear how many folks you have, how many folks that um you anticipate to have because I know council has the mayor, city manager's office and council has given you the authorization to hire some folks so they can do an even more effective job. >> Thank you, mayor, council members, council member Robinson. um our percentage um which we will be reporting at the PSJ um subcommittee hearing in February is lower because of the new positions that were recently created. So at the end of last year, we asked that part-time um positions be converted to full-time positions to again stabilize our ability to staff our units and provide services. Um so we have right now 26 open full-time positions. In fact, thank you for this opportunity. that job um recruitment is open right now through February 2nd. So if anybody in the community is interested, please go to the city of Phoenix website under the careers and look for crisis intervention specialist and please apply before February 2nd. Um so we'll be filling 26 full-time. Was that like plugging it too much? I don't know. But um so um so we we will be continuing to fill those positions um which will be focused mainly on on stabilizing more of our crisis response units now that we have the nine behavioral health units up as part of that $15 million investment where the goal is also to reach 10 crisis response teams. We're currently at six. So we're at 60% of that goal. Um, so we went in 2021 from having maybe 30 to 50 full-time staff members and part-time members to currently have over 130 full-time and part-time members in our program. Um, and again, we continue to to hire for that position. Hopefully that >> that answered the question. Thank you very much for that. And I'll just move on over. Shannon, you're last and u then I'll get off my soap box here. Um what you're doing with oat is terrific. I think it's really important for folks to also understand that oat and kind of a little bit of the community action program. We've gotten some attention from the National Mediation Association, National Mediation Groups and things like that. I know we've come together and had some conversations about how all that can blend together. But um that's just sort of a statement on my part. But Shannon, more a question about um oat with the recommendations that you're making. Can you give us an idea and again I I think I understand but I think it's best for the audience and everyone to understand more completely about how you work with the police department um on issues. Let's say I feel I'm a citizen and I feel wronged by the police department in whatever way. Can you give us an idea on how you go about dealing with that issue, trying to settle it or remediate it more than anything else? I would say >> thank you, Councilman Robinson, Mayor, members of council, members of the public. So, there's sort of twofold ways that we address those concerns with the police department. So, if a member of >> I'm sorry, just >> I've never been accused of talking too quietly, so I'll make this closer. Um, so if a member of the community comes and lets us know that they have a concern about the Phoenix Police Department, we have uh our review team takes those complaints and concerns and so they can sit down with a member of the team, they can call in, they can send us an email, they send us an email or leave us a voicemail, one of the folks on our team will call them back and respond to them just so we can make sure we have all the information necessary. um we can take whatever level of information they have. We collect all of that. Uh we then transmit those complaints and concerns to the police department. Sometimes there's things that we may be able to resolve in a short order. So I'll just give you an example. Um a few weeks ago, somebody had called and they had a complaint about an officer taking a license plate. And based on what they were telling us, it we didn't and obviously we didn't have all the information. My inclination in that case was not only did we forward the complaint, but I reached out to Chief Benza and I said, "Hey, this doesn't seem like it based on what we're hearing, maybe this didn't work out, okay? So, can you all take a look into it?" Um, because had it not been the right thing to happen in that circumstance, then we have somebody who had their property taken and they shouldn't have. And so Chief Benzo took a look into it, made a contact, figured out what happened, and we were able then to get that contact back with a community member to explain this is why the officer did what they did and this is the uh mechanisms to proceed. So uh not only do we have an opportunity to sort of resolve those things in a closer a shorter period of time without having to go through a full PSB investigation than it has to go through all those processes, there's some things we can resolve quickly. there's other things that we can't resolve quickly and they need to go to PSB for an investigation so they can review body cam and all of those sorts of things. The advantage of of somebody bringing their complaints and concerns through oat is because we do have that connection directly with the police department. We can follow up. So if a member of the community says I've heard absolutely nothing on my complaint, I can reach out to folks at the department and say hey this person hasn't heard back and it may be that they haven't heard back. It may be that they were trying a number that no longer works at whatever those things are. So, it allows us to help sort of facilitate that communication gap that I know has been a point of concern for the department in terms of many community members feel like their complaints or concerns sort of go into an abyss uh and they don't hear back. And so, we can help close those gaps either to inform community police did try to call you, but we didn't get a call. You didn't get a call back uh or vice versa. And then there's a subset of those complaints that we may also review the department's administrative investigation. But the bulk of our case load for the review reports that we release that the civilian review board hears focuses on cases that are under our mandatory authority which include officer involved shootings in custody deaths, incidents involving serious physical injury, and then certain times where an officer is charged with or investigated for uh certain criminal violations. So that's what the bulk of our review work is, but our report work involves the process I just described. >> Thank you very much for that. And I want to thank all of you. It was an excellent presentation. The work that you're doing is tough and and I say that from a standpoint of what oat is doing. It's not when it was first set up. It wasn't exactly what everybody wanted, the office of accountability and transparency, but it's what we ended up with. And for a variety of reasons and the work that you're doing is terrific. I know Shannon is talking to folks around the country and you know I I think that based on you know the lemons that you were given you made lemonade out of it and I I love lemonade so you guys are doing a great job in that regard in DC the work that the your unit is doing. I can remember and I know Chief Gio Gio Gioonno remembers. I don't know why I did that, Matt, but um I we can remember when we didn't have that resource and it was us as police officers truly not having that level of expertise in trying to deal with a situation. But now we have, you know, that third rail that we can call upon to help us resolve a lot of conflict that law enforcement officers deal with day in and day out. So, thank you for that. And Jody, as always, um, we're really trying to move the Phoenix Police Department ahead in some really difficult ways. I had mentioned that for a couple years of my life in the police department, I worked on a records management system and we were never able to get it to where you guys have gotten it now. So, congratulations on that and I appreciate all that you guys have done in all areas. Chief, great presentation by your by your staff and mayor. Thank you very much for the time. Thank you so much, Vice Mayor, Councilwoman Gordado, and then Hernandez. >> Thank you, Mayor. Uh, I too want to start off by saying thank you for this important update. I think the scope of work reflects what we've seen here today shows that meaningful progress has been is being made towards a more modern, accountable, and community centered public safety system. So, I want to start off by that. I have a couple of questions. I'm going to go through each of them with each as we move along. Sorry. I want to talk a little bit um Kevin took some of my questions so I'm going to weed them out. I want to talk a little bit about the data collection system. I believe collecting our data is important for a number of reasons to identify trends patterns but more importantly to help us identify opportunities for improvement and success. So u with respect to the presentation you shared some of the customer service satisfaction scores as well as a public sentiment survey results. Um, I'm curious as to are there any takeaways of positives and negatives that we can improve on in order to get us um to operate closer to our cohort of of the sort in this case because I I know it's helpful to share what's going on, but I think it's also important for our community to understand that we are not only just looking at the data, but we're using this data to help drive us to get to a better we're constantly evolving. Mayor, members of council, vice mayor, Hajj Washington, thank you so much for the question. I think it's really important to recognize when we have opportunities for improvement, but also when we do well. And so when we I was excited to be able to share with you all our overall satisfaction scores for an entire calendar year of 2025 based on interactions related to officers in our and our team members in our communications department answering 911 calls. And if you'll recall, the overall officer satisfaction is 4.39 out of five stars. Now, when I'm looking at customer satisfaction scores, to me, anything over four stars means that we're doing something right. Um, so I think we are those individual interactions between officers and members of our community are positive over overall positive. um as well as those between our 911 call takers and those individuals calling in. Now, you'll notice that our overall department satisfaction score is 3.94 out of five stars. So, just under four. And what we need to do is delve a little bit deeper into that to understand why. And that goes back to looking at the question that they're answering when they make that rating. And the question is, how satisfied are you with the department in serving public safety? So it we need to be able to understand that to a greater extent and that's something that I think that we'll be exploring moving forward. That tool allows us additional options aside from just offering an overall rating. We can do surveys related to that which we have not enabled yet. We wanted to be able to master and understand the data set that has been that allows us to to collect. So that's something that we'll be looking at moving forward. In addition to the public sentiment tool that I shared you with you um this is something that we are we are on a journey together to learn it. Um we have six months worth of survey responses. Those four um procedural justice benchmarks which deal with safety, fairness, respect and voice. those. One of my questions to our colleagues at Zen City was, "Okay, we got um I believe it was, let me just look real quick, 56% of our community feels that they're safe in relationship to 59%." So, I wanted to understand what is that that mean in comparison to our cohort. We also have the ability to compare ourselves to all 86 cities that are participating at the national level. And one of the powerful things about this tool that I think that it's going to afford us is that we're able to drill down to the precinct and potentially even the neighborhood level to understand how our public sentiment occurs within our localized communities. And so we had the members from Blackwise here last week. They scheduled meetings with every precinct commander, lieutenant, and our community action teams that work out of those precincts to help them understand locally how they're relating to their community. And then that allows us to develop strategies based on this data driven approach to to get to what the community believes is truly important. And so it's it's a little premature to understand exactly how this is going to to roll out, but I'm um optimistic about the potential that it affords not only the members of our department to understand how our community feels about us and how they're evaluating our performance, but it'll also allow us to engage in a conversation about those priorities that the community has identified so that we can work on things that are important to them and always u be committed to continuous improvement. >> Thank you for that. Um you've highlighted two character traits of mine. I'm competitive. I want us to be better than the others and I'm also impatient. So I guess I need to I want it now. But I'm glad to hear that the answer is that it will be forthcoming to towards us because I think it is important that we acknowledge this is where we're going to be moving from and we're going to use this data to move forward. Um my next set of questions go to you Chief Benza. Um, regarding one, I think it's helpful given everything that's going on in our country right now. Um, we talk a lot about our we've talked about like the first amendment activity, support, and management. I think it's helpful for the community to hear what is it that our citizens can expect um as they exercise their first amendment rights. >> Mayor, members of council, council, oh, sorry, Vice Mayor Haj Washington, um, they could expect safety from us. they can expect communication from us when they're exercising their first amendment rights. When when we have an event or a planned demonstration or an unplanned demonstration, we utilize our community engagement bureau to go out in plain clothes and interact with the organizers. We want them to understand what our goals are and our goals are to let them have their voice and let them have their space, but to do it safely. So, they can expect us to communicate with them. They can expect us to support them in making that place as safe as possible. they can expect clear guidelines on what we expect from them. Uh for example, we don't want uh people to take roadways if we can't control that roadway to make it safe. So we bring everything back to their safety uh for those events. So we will make sure that there's clear communications and clear expectations and then follow-up conversation with them as well. Those are things they can expect on the initial side of that. Uh part of that killer communication is when the group is becoming larger, what resources we need and what resources we need from them. So along those lines and chief you can jump in. This was your old job uh please. But that's what they can expect from us is clear expectations and clear communication from us both from a uniform perspective and a plane closed perspective. >> I wasn't sure if you wanted to say something as well, Chief. I I think Chief Benza captured it quite quite uh effectively, but just to just to reiterate, you know, that that is what we do. We we firmly believe in everyone's first amendment rights to express their their their ideas and their thoughts, but we do want our overall guiding value is safety. Want everyone to be safe. Um and when people take the road, it it become very dangerous when you have people in roadways. So, we do our best to to make sure they're doing that safely, but we do that through communication on the front end. So oftent times we're reaching out to people that are organizing protests before they even begin to to help them understand how to do how to do things safely to express their views. But again, we're always communicating, always listening, and always looking from a safety standpoint. >> Thank you so much. Thank you both for that answer. Um, I also wanted us to talk just kind of give a we talked a lot about the implementation of these policies. I think it might be helpful also to share with the public what they can expect with the changes the policy changes we're going to see with respect to youth intervention youth interaction I'm sorry and how they interact with those individual experiencing homelessness >> mayor members of councilman vice mayor uh they can expect us uh once again uh to have clear expectations of what the of what our expectations are and what their expectations are of us um as I've said before I believe our operations orders are a reflection of our values and that's what we post um online for people to read so they can view our order the the rules that we give our employees and our policies we give our employees with respect to youth interaction. This is a new one for us and it clearly defines for our our employees um different aspects of the youth development that we've not had before. It talks about other avenues in which to treat youth. Um some characteristics of youth that aren't common uh for adults to give our officers and our forward- facing employees an idea or some other things to grasp from um when they're dealing with youth so they don't mistake that uh youth for being um disrespectful or not cooperating. They may just not understand or they may be too shy or afraid uh of to act as we would expect them to act. So for the youth interaction policy that's very clear for us with with respect to inter uh interacting with individual individuals experiencing homelessness we want our officers to understand what our focus is. We partnered with the office of homeless solutions and we almost mirror their policy for our policy. Um we want to provide people services to help them. We want to provide quality service to them. And if they're unable to take their property, we want to make sure that we respect them and show that respect by taking care of their property. We want to make sure they can get their property if they're going to be somewhere else or hospitalized that we can ensure that that property is not gone. Uh so we want to show respect for that. >> Thank you for that. Um my next question is uh for community assistance program uh directors with respect to um just a more of a curiosity question on slide 32 I believe it talks about the average response time in minutes for the behavioral health unit and it says our goal is to be um less than 25 minutes out of curiosity. How was that um baseline set? Thank you, mayor, council, vice mayor. Um, so two things we looked at. We looked with our connection with Harvard Kennedy um, GPL, what was happening across other jurisdictions. I think it's important to realize that our teams are not like first responders in the fact that we don't have lights and sirens to respond to a call. We also don't have what's typically called as firstdue areas or a space like um like we have like we have a team that is dedicated just to downtown. So all nine of those units are stationed throughout the city, but any one of them can respond to any call as it comes in across the city. So we have a team up at fire station 41 which is located at I17 in Bell Road. But if if all of the other units are busy, they will take a call down in South Phoenix. So, what we're trying to make sure is is that the closest unit who uh can respond to that so that we keep that time reasonable so people aren't waiting hours to get the services that they need um and that that our teams are getting there safely because they do have to use all of the rules of the road as everybody else. And then just out of curiosity, do we find that um with the response time, do we find that in any instances where individuals, I guess I shouldn't say any because I presume it happens, but instances, how frequent are instances where someone who needs behavioral health intervention, um by the time the team arrives at the location, that person may have already exited the location. >> Mayor, council, vice mayor, thank you for the question. Um, it's hard for me to provide a number of that right now. We actually just switched our records um, uh, database and we're hoping to collect that data in a new way so we'll be able to report that out. Um, often times for the individuals that we're responding to, they don't even know we're coming. So, it's someone in the community who sees someone on the street who may look like they are just in need of services, someone to talk to, and they ask, they call 911, they ask for behavioral health unit, and our teams are dispatched out. So, there are times when our teams do get out there and the individual and how they were described, that individual is no longer at on that site, but like I said, at this point, I can't give you statistically the number of that or percentage. >> Thank you. do that. Thank you for at least telling me you can't give me something. I appreciate that. I do want to say thank you for sharing the success story. I had the opportunity to do a a Kesha on the job with the community assistance program. So, I was able to see hands-on how um firsthand how you interact, how your group interacts with members of our community, and I think they're doing a they're doing a good job. So, thank you for that. Uh my next question goes to the Office of Accountability and Transparency. Um I I wanted to ask a couple of questions regarding um just the department level mediation. You said there's been eight that has occurred so far. I know that's a rather small sample size. Um but I have heard from members of the community the question whether or not the mediation um is a process they want to participate in. So I what I would ask you to share is kind of what is the feedback that you've been receiving regarding the mediation um opportunities. >> So mayor, members of council, vice mayor Hajj Washington, uh if you'll forgive me just a bit of time, I did want to thank you publicly for your involvement in our youth outreach program. Um and uh Councilwoman Vice Mayor Hajj Washington came to the graduation for the students um the students each had to present about a topic of concern in their community. And not only did um you share your time with the students, uh the vice mayor acknowledged every single one of the students ideas and projects and followed up and that commitment to the youth and the community is so incredibly valuable and important. And so on behalf of the community engagement team and the students as well as a larger O team, I want to thank you for that. So >> you're welcome. I I was going to say you guys did a tremendous job empowering the next voice of our youth, sorry, the youth and next voice of our generation. Some of the ideas that I heard in that presentation were lets me know that city of Phoenix is in great hands, that this is the next generation and thank you for helping them to own their voice. >> Well, thank you. So, mediation and also thank you for bringing that back up because I was remiss in talking about mediation as a way to resolve complaints um based on Councilman Robinson's question. So, at department level mediation, we've had eight so far. One of the challenges is that um it's part of building processes. So, as we all know, as folks who work in the city, it can take a long time to put programs in place. We are modeled in many ways after the office of um OIM in Phoenix. I cannot remember off the top of my head what the M is, my apologies. And they have a mediation program. And so, they both do department level and individual officer mediations. Uh our mediation director, Kate Auding, has also established a national mediator network uh to talk about police community mediation best practices moving forward. So we've continued to shape and evolve that program as we've gone along. In order for us to take a case to department level mediation, we have to know about it. So that's probably the biggest barrier at this point in terms of our numbers is that we can only take things to mediation and proposed things for mediation to the department if folks bring those concerns to us. Universally across the board, members of the public have been satisfied with mediation. It gives that opportunity. Sort of similar to what we talked about with complaints before. people are going up a very large bureaucracy, right? They file a complaint, they get a voicemail or an email or a text message back about whatever it is. With mediation, both department level and individual officer, they get to sit down onetoone with a member of the department to talk about what their concern is. And so those department level mediations are tend to be more systemic issues, things that are a matter of department policy. We've had some where it wasn't about an indiv it was about an individual officer's conduct, but it implicated a larger series of problems with behavior at the department. And so different representatives from the department have sat down and it's been executive leadership, commanders and above at this point who sat down with those folks and talked about here's what the department can do, here's what the department can't do. We acknowledge they acknowledge when it's a miss on the department side about how something happened. And even though it's a facilitated conversation, so the department doesn't have to make any sort of agreements with folks that they mediate with, in every circumstance, the department has offered followup to make sure that whatever the concern was doesn't happen again. So that's been that's really reassuring for community members. Um oftentimes people come in on edge and by the end of it um those concerns are assuaged. As far as individual officer mediation, that will be more of that one-to-one accountability. And so we do have parameters in place in the operations orders and our policies about what types of cases can be mediated. Uses of force will not be mediated. Um things like that will not be mediated. So we're talking about things like professionalism concerns, rudeness, um lack of service, those types of things. And so it's that onetoone accountability. I think I've mentioned this before. Um David Matthews is my new deputy city manager. If David came to me today and said, well, I maybe shouldn't use this example, but came to me today and said, "Vice Mayor Haj Washington said you were incredibly rude at council," I would I wouldn't actually say, "Yeah, whatever." But it's very different than if you come to me and you sit down across the table and you're like, "Hey, Shannon, the way that you engage with me that day, it really didn't feel okay, and here's why, and here's the impact that that I carried with me." That's a different measure of accountability onetoone than hearing it from your supervisor. And then it also gives me an opportunity to say, "Hey, yeah, maybe I was uh not in my best form today. Here's what's going on." And it gives me the opportunity to take pause going forward and making sure I'm being professional, representing the city positively in those interactions. And so, uh, universally, I believe that, uh, approval rates or, uh, satisfaction rates with mediation across the country in police community mediations exceed the high 80s and 90s. And that comes from both community members as well as police. And in fact, interestingly, police often find it find more satisfaction than in it in than um community members. I don't know that we know why. I don't know that the the data has been analyzed in that regard, but it tends to be high 80s uh to the 90s. >> Thank you for that. Um I think I think it gives them an opportunity to feel like you've been seen, you've been heard, and you've been understood. And it brings it back to a interpersonal relationship or conversation interaction versus um something that could seem more detached. So thank you for that. Thank you for providing that feedback. I I just wanted to also I neglected to say this in my comments to our uh police uh police department. I really wanted to commend you for the execution of the improvements that were outlined by council in September of 24. less than a year late. I'm sorry, a little over a year and we are almost 78% towards completion and we have just a few that still need to be outstanding. I think that is an in that shows that it was definitely a priority for not only the council but the departments when it comes to implementation. So I wanted to say thank you for that. That concludes my questions. Mayor, >> thank you. Councilwoman Gordado, followed by Councilwoman Hernandez. >> Thank you, Mayor. Well, first I just wanted to say thank you um for for listening, for all of the hard work um that you guys all have done. With that being said, I know that we're not done. I know that there's still a lot of improvements, a lot of things um that still need to change, especially under the environment that we're living under. You know, Chief, I just want to commend you for all of the hard work that you have done in the last couple of weeks. I know that we've heard very positive feedback from community when it comes to First Amendment rights. So, thank you all for everything that you guys are doing um with our community. Um and we've come a long way. Uh when I first got elected in 2019, there were a lot of conversations that were happening and we were able to implement oat. We've done a lot of changes. You guys have heard um from community um of the things that they want to see um change. um look looking at the numbers and seeing all the phone calls that we've been able um to transfer to the correct departments to give everyone um the services that they need and that they deserve. I I tremendously appreciate all all of the work, everything that has happened. Um the relief that we've been able to give um to our police officers and also um implementing new departments that can take the calls um appropriately. Um I I'm just happy that we've been able to do that. Again, we're not done. Um you know, we there's still things that we need to work on. Um a lot of more programs that need to be implemented and things that we need to be able to see. Um it was an honor to be given the opportunity um to lead um the youth survey as well. Thank you, CHF Chief Benza, for all of your hard work on that as well and being able to hear from our youth and understanding from them what is it that they want to see different from us. And I know that um with all of the students that we spoke with, they felt heard. They felt that we were finally listening um to a lot of the concerns that they had. Um I'm excited to see the next steps on that as well and bringing um more students um to the table so they can help us lead as we continue with this transformation. Um thank you all so much. Thank you Lori. Thank you staff. Thank you everyone for all of your hard work and also to my colleagues um that we've been able to come together and implement these changes. Thank you mayor. >> Thank you so much Councilwoman Hernandez. >> Thank you mayor. Um, and I actually also want to start with thanks to the mayor and to the council for um continued commitments to improve public safety. Uh, I think I want to first highlight the very important change um that was already echoed by the mayor and by other members on incorporating the third option when folks are calling 911. Um, that's something that the minute we came into office, we started having conversations on that. So, I just really appreciate that you all took that so seriously. Um, concern from all of us and from the council. Uh, I agree that it might seem like a small change, but it actually is a very impactful change because sometimes residents don't know that they can ask for something other than um police or fire. So, and I think that that addresses a lot of the concerns that we all share across the board. So, it's great to have um consensus on that and and broad support to make something uh such an impactful change on that. Um, I do have a couple questions and I'm going to try to be very mindful of the audience that's here. I know they're anxious to get to the next item. Um, so I'm going to try not to repeat any of the questions that were already asked. I want to start on the uh community survey piece. So the Enzi, um, how is that information being collected and what are the residents that we're talking to to collect that information? >> Mayor, members of council, Councilwoman Hernandez, um, Blockwise does that, Zin City does that for us. It's not something that the department solicits. Blockwise does it at our request. They are representative samples from the various precincts within our city. Um my understanding is that these are questions or survey um invitations for individuals as they're browsing um to participate in a survey about their community and about the police department. And so it's voluntary people that choose to to click on the link and complete the survey. It's supposed to be a very quick survey that allows residents to be able to move through those questions. Um there are options for customized questions and allows them to provide uh text responses, but that's all at the discretion of the individual completing the survey. Um we work with Zen City to to update or revise those questions going forward. Um so we're excited about about the platform tool in particular that it's representative of the community that's being sampled. >> Okay. Thank you, Jody. And once that those surveys are collected and data data is collected, um is that I guess how are we using that to share with the public or how are we sharing it with the public or is it just to guide internal uh practices? >> Mayor, members of council, Councilwoman Hernandez, the goal is that this is a collaborative effort with our community. Um we just started this program, so we're still learning. As a matter of fact, as I shared, uh, Zinc City was here present with us last week to train each precinct leadership team on the intricacies of each report, what the report is trying to communicate to them, how they may be able to use it, learning from other agencies that have been using this tool to help inform um, their strategy, prioritization, engaging with the community. So it's very early on for us, but the intent ultimately then is to create an opportunity to have a public dashboard so that the community also sees the data. It's their data. Um and we want them to see it. Uh the other um tool that this platform affords us is the ability to build custom surveys. So we can outside of these representative sample surveys create custom surveys based on the need at the time uh to be able to solicit input from our from our community about particular topics of interest to them and to council and to us. >> Thank you. Um and is there any invol or any involvement from oat in the collection and sharing of that data >> mayor members of council? Councilwoman Hernandez to date not yet. Um obviously uh going forward we're happy to share the information with all parties that are interested is as I mentioned it's intended to be public. Yeah. >> Um it helps all of us be make better decisions about how we engage in a public safety arena within our communities. >> Okay. No, thank you for that. I would suggest maybe we explore that option. I think OAT is looked at as a more neutral department. So maybe there would be it would be worth having those conversations to see where the collaboration can lie to make sure that the community really feels like we're being um as transparent as possible with them. Um and speaking of vote uh for the um as you gather Shannon you've shared like where your team is at and presenting and engaging with the community and I know uh council member Robertson already asked to walk through the process of like how that goes. Can you just reaffirm how uh like if I wanted to start a complaint like what that could you just touch on the beginning of it again? >> Yes. Mayor, members of council, Councilwoman Hernandez. Yes. So, uh in person Monday through Friday 8 to 5:00 at 350 West Jefferson. So, for members of the PL, we're just right around the corner from where we're at right now in the parking garage that's just to the west of here on the south side. So, you can come into the office. You can call us 26287 which is 6287 and you can also uh send us an email and we will respond to that. So my team will uh call back. We do enter all complaints that we receive into the portal that goes directly to the police department. One of the um conversations that we had with also if you call the police hotline number which I believe is 26280 50 um that goes to uh the police hotline for complaints and commendations. Any non-urgent complaints will get routed to oat. So, if you're not asking for a supervisor to respond on scene and it's not an active thing that's happening right in the moment, those will get routed to and they'll be able to talk to one of our review team members about what their complaint or concern is. We enter that into the portal. One of the agreements that we have with the police department as a result of doing that entry into the portal is that we will we are getting we're working on getting a documentation that's easier for us to actually analyze but we get a report of every community complaint the department has received whether that's through oat through uh PSB walk-in email so that we'll be able to have a better analysis of what all the complaints are that the department has received and looked at which we haven't had prior to now. So now we're going to be able to go back and so once we get to a fully staffed team and some of my members are able to take some things off of their plate. We do hope to have uh be able to provide some more analysis and in partnership with the police department about what their numbers are, what we're seeing and be able to better report out on those things. >> Okay. Thank you. Um and I know that the community engagement team is out there because I see them all over the place. So great job uh to the team for being engaged. Is there other areas where um this hotline or number or how to file complaints or compliments um is broadcasted or is advertised? >> So with the rebranding, we've been waiting to get that in place just so that we can sort of usher in this new era of oat. We will be doing a series offormational videos about oat generally as well as about oat mediation. And so those will things those will be things that will be distributed to all members of council for you to share with your community members. Um we al are also building our website. So we'll have dedicated pages for community engagement, mediation, civilian review board, all of those sorts of things. And then um word of mouth, right? So we will show up to any community event anywhere we are asked to be. If there are places that any of members of council want us to be there to meet our team or to engage with members of your community, we will happily come. Um doesn't matter what time it is or where it is, we will be there. Um as you said, our community engagement team is here. where they are 100% dedicated to serving the Phoenix community. And so we are also going to work with comms about having a larger campaign about oat and how to access OAT. So those are all processes that I've started moving forward with Dan Wilson in the city comp's office. >> Okay. Thank you. Um want to pivot over to the first amendment updates and um thank you for the questions that were already asked. So I just kind of want to pivot over to a separate piece. Um, Chief, do you feel that the changes and the updates in this policy um are going to improve the conduct from our officers um with members of the community that are exercising their right to protest? Um, and I asked that because in the past, right, we have seen when our officers have escalated things instead of deescalating things. So I want to be very mindful especially with what is the moment we are in right now that the entire community and Phoenix residents can feel safe and knowledgeable that they are going to be able to very rightfully so exercise their first amendment rights. Mayor, members of council, Council Mendes, um I I believe that what our policy does is outlines our expectations of our employees, what we expect for them in those situations. And like I talked about, we always lead with safety first, making sure that everyone is afforded the the the opportunity to express their First Rights. So, I'm very confident in the skills and abilities of every Phoenix police officer to understand what our expectations are for them and to exercise those expert exercise discretion and and follow our expectations to make sure that members of our community can exercise their rights safely. >> Thank you. And I will publicly share that I've had this I've told this to the chief directly that in the last few protests that I've attended um the department under your leadership has done a great job of traffic control to allow the protesters to peacefully take the streets and really exercise their rights. So um I shared it you know directly with you but I also want to share as much as critical as I am of your department. I will also say that you the last few um actions uh the the officers have done a good job at at providing traffic control and not and that's the only presence they have with the protesters. So um just want to say thanks for that. Um on the um my next question is around the crisis intervention team. Um, what are the specific skill set and criteria that need to be met for a member of that team? >> Mayor, members of council, council, it's a 40-hour class that that the officers go to. They work with our behavioral health partners. It's been many years since I've attended one of those classes, but it's 40 hours. It ends, it culminates at the end of the week with scenario-based training to ex expose the officers to to different scenarios they might encounter out out on the street. But really what it focuses on is time, compassion, communication skills, and realizing that you have the time to engage and then to provide resources and then also to understand what resources are available to members of the community because again, taking someone to jail doesn't normally solve the underlying problem. So, we want officers to understand and recognize that on the front end. So, that's what that that class. And if I'm missing something, chief, please, please, please jump in. But it really comes down to just communication communication and understanding. >> Okay. Thank you for that. And is there um can you share how many CIT officers we have? And um is there a pay differential for CIT members? Mayor, members of council, Councilman Hernandez, we have 268 patrol officers who are certified in CIT uh crisis intervention and I believe 520ish uh officers that are in administrative or investigative roles to do that and I forgot the second part of your question. >> Uh is there a pay difference for those? >> No, there's no man no maid difference. >> Okay. And can you share is there any difference or what is the difference in skill set between our CIT officers and CAP the CAP uh employees? >> Mayor Council Councilwoman Hernandez one our employees are not sworn police officers. Uh they are civilians. Um we actually have been collaborating with the police department and our employees have actually participated in the scenario base. So they are the actors in those scenario base to help officers understand ways to deescalate individuals. Um and it's a great way for our team members to also get to know the officers who are out in the field. Um so that they develop that rapport quickly. >> Okay. Thank you so much for that. Um my next question is on the policy feedback. Uh on all the different policy, you know, we've had updates. So the less than lethal tools, the youth, the homeless uh how to interact with homelessness feedback and those were all advertised for public um to provide impact in input sorry not impact input um for 30 days which is I think the what we were doing previously um I know we've had some conversations on that. So is there anywhere that we anything we can share with the public um about expanding the 30 days time frame for input collection? Mayor, member council, council mandos, we've definitely discussed that going to going to 45 days or conversely keeping it at 30 days and then doing at your request, any any member of council's request, coming out and talking to your community about the changes, those policies. So, we're we're clear for direction from the council on how you'd like us to proceed. >> Okay, perfect. Thank you, Chief. Um, and then uh can we share with the public um how the results from that feedback um is how we can share that out with the public? So, right, they're asking for transparency. They've been asking for transparency for years. So, anything we can share with the public on how we're going to share the input, feedback um out to them. >> Mayor, members of council, Councilman Hernett is we have been looking at the comments that we receive from the community. Um me and my staff have looked at each one and we've grouped them um into common themes, common threads and then pulled out the substantive comments that have helped shape uh the the policies that we have currently. We're working with what is going to make that document easy to read, easy to understand. Um how to highlight which comments were included um in the in the policy and which ones weren't included and then a rationale why. So, we're almost finished with uh tweaking that to get it to council for review and then out for the public. We've looked at different ideas, but want to make sure we get this right so the community can see what comments are coming in and they can see what comments um are used to create the policy. >> Okay, thank you so much for that and just for really being open to having those discussions. Um, and my last question, I promise. Uh, in the in the reporting, um, it says, you know, I think I read somewhere where it says we're intended to have, um, feedback on policy on all the 37 action items and the various and continuing improvements, um, every 3 months for the next 3 years. And I'm just wondering if we could, you know, if there's possible discussion to look at expanding that. Right. I think that this is such an important matter that we should be providing updates um to the you know not only to the council but to the public um every quarter you know not just for the next three years. So just wondering thoughts on on that >> mayor members of council council that's definitely something we'd be open to we want to be completely transparent. We want to be completely uh again transparent. I guess you can't I can't think of a better word than that, but we want to continually look for ways to improve and we're proud of those improvements. We're proud of our efforts and we're happy to share those. >> Okay. Thank you, Chief. Um and you know, I I really want to just begin a couple more comments. Um I just promised it was my last question, not my comments. Um, but I just really want to begin by acknowledging that there are steps that have been taken to address um long-standing concerns around policing in the city of Phoenix. And after years of community members raising the same issues um often without with feeling like they're not heard, it really really matters that movement is happening. So I appreciate those actions and I also recognize the labor that it took us to get here collectively. Um but appreciation does not mean complacency and I can also recognize that we still have a long way to go. Um improving policy on paper is not enough if the protocol um and the culture remain unchanged. So the day-to-day practices, the internal accountability systems um and the norms that are reinforced within the department, those must evolve alongside all of the action um items and the attempts to at better practices and procedures. Without that, we really risk repeating the same harms just under new language. Um, and as we rightfully critique federal systems like calling out ICE for overreach, lack of transparency, and the harm caused by unchecked authority, we must also be willing to apply that same critical lens internally. Um, if we believe unchecked power is dangerous, then that belief has to also extend to the Phoenix Police Department as well. Um this is especially important because policing holds a unique irrevers a unique and irreversible power. The power to use deadly force. Um at the same time the police department receives the largest share of our general fund investments. And with that level of authority and public invest in investments comes an even greater responsibility for rigorous oversight and transparency. So, our residents are paying attention and they deserve a city government that is just as committed to accountability as it is to public safety. Um, but thank you so much for all the work thus far in the conversation, just being willing to engage in the very tough conversations that especially chief you and I have. Um, and just thank you again to the mayor and council for their commitment to improving public safety in the city of Phoenix. Thank you, mayor. >> Thank you, Councilwoman. Councilwoman O'Brien. >> Thank you, mayor. Um, I will try to be brief. I do want to um say thank you uh for all the work you have done, all the progress you have made since the city council provided you with nearly 40 um items to complete uh a little over a year ago. Um the dedication and ongoing commitment to public safety, transparency and accountability is commendable and I look forward as we move in as we complete these um items moving into the inspect what we expect. Um I am sure chief that you and your staff are are committed to making these changes and ensuring that we have um a productive positive uh relationship with our community members as we move forward uh in the future. And this morning I was able to participate in the point in time time count and experienced firsthand someone who was witnessing or experienced them having a behavioral health crisis. And so I'm so thankful that we have other resources to call. It was heartbreaking um to to see that and um we have a lot of work in that area to do. But but thank you DC for all that you are doing and and the PD for helping our 911 change so that we have the options. It's so very important. Um the work our employees is doing is incredibly critically important and I really am proud of all of our employees and our community members are definitely appreciate you all. I look forward to seeing more on the customer service satisfaction scores as well as the the survey platform. So thank you. Keep up the good work. Um, this does not stop here. This continues um ongoing. Thank you, >> Councilwoman Pestor. >> Thank you. Um, thank you for all the work. Been here a while. Um, a little bit wearing and I I think are the ojos of the of the council right now. Um, I have a question about Zen City. I didn't understand completely. Zen City and Blockwise is Did I get that correct? >> Mayor, members of council, Councilwoman Pastor, that's correct. Blockwise is a component or one of the software platforms that Zen City has within its um catalog of resources and it's geared specifically towards public safety. >> Okay. So, Blockwise is very specific to public safety. Do you know the other platforms to Zen City or you just deal with public safety? >> Mayors, member of members of council, Councilwoman Pastor, I do know that the city uses the larger city platform for Zen City. Um, I was not as familiar with it. Um, but I do obviously we're very excited about being able to use blockwise and then uh future focus the custom survey option to be able to identify those priorities specific to both council and the community. >> Okay. And the reason why I'm asking is because I've asked about Zen City and I have been told uh that's a police platform. That's why I'm asking. Um and so I'll get further information later on. I guess my other question and piece is uh understanding or seeing what um constituents are reading on the platform. Uh I'm very curious first of all of what is being sent out on the platform and then what the results are. Um, and I don't think I've ever seen a Zen city or or a a a survey and saying this is what the the sentiment of the community is. >> Mayors, members of council, Councilwoman Pastor, that's my understanding. Obviously, my focus is blackwise related to public safety. Um, in the data packets that we shared with council, we included blockwise reports so that you have the first opportunity to examine them. You'll see that they are related to specific precincts within the city. Um, they will always have those four procedural justice benchmarks related to to every survey that's that's produced. And then on a quarterly basis, the there's text questions where they can free text responses like things, what are you most what is your number one public safety priority? Where do you feel the most safe? Um is traffic uh and speed a concern? Uh there's lots of different ways for us to collect information through these through these reports which we have shared with council and excited about the opportunity that it's going to help us make good decisions moving forward. Okay. Because usually when I meet on a one-on-one, it's it's we're there's an agenda given and here's some paperwork given and it's up to you to sit there and break it down. So, in my next meeting, I really would like to break it down and understand the Zen City and where this data is coming from. So, um I appreciate that. My next question is really about um um cap not cap um office of uh office of accountability oat and um what I want to lay down is or what I want to say is that um really oat began with uh the community police trust initiative. Am I correct, Ed? And uh that's really where we were seeing some items happening in the community and conversation going on. And at the time or current moment, uh the city manager brought this group together uh that was I want to say it was Carol Cole's Henry and I can't remember his name right now. Julian, >> you're going far. Oh, Julian Nazni. Yes, Julian. Julian Nazni who who wrote with a collective uh points and recommendations. One of them was Oat and Oat was that there were like three recommendations that we couldn't get through and that this is when I was first elected and uh this is what happened. and and and the reason why I'm giving history is because you can see how uh a process happens within the city and how slowly it moves. Um then it was in 2019 2019 things started to happen. Black Lives M matters started. Uh 2020 was COVID and there were two newly elected uh council people and what ended up happening is because we were watching what was happening within our community and what our community was asking for. So I want to thank those that were here for hearing the community and in that process that's how oat came about and it was a tough process to get oat to where we are today. Um in that process what I like to say is that we put money behind it and we put money behind it so that it could start and move the way it is today. So I want to commend my colleagues of the past and right now of the current of understanding the importance of oat because if they didn't had money it would have never come to fruition. And so I think that's a pertinent uh history and take to understand that it started and it began with money. Um most our plans some of our plans we pass we don't have money behind it and then every year we figure out a budget and we try to push it. So um that's I just wanted that in history and I just wanted it on record. So I want to thank everybody for doing it. cap came out of vote, came out of the 2020, came out of COVID, uh because we saw what was happening in our community and some of the behavioral health that was needed and how police also needed assistance in that space uh in order for us to have a safe community. But most importantly, it was the community who came in front of us and and pushed us and asked for it. So, I want to thank everybody. Appreciate it. I know we're all waiting for the next item, but thank you. >> Thank you. Uh James Carney is our only member of the public on this item. James, the floor is yours. And is if James is in the basement, if someone could just signal to me or if you are James, I do not to our team. Do we do we have a James? >> Okay. >> All right. So, it seems like James is not here >> calling once. All right. Uh then we Anything final on this item or shall we? All right. Well, the uh Thank you. Super important update for our residents. Key takeaway. You have three options when you call 911, including behavioral health. Thank you. All right. Um, we had originally looked at a break at 5:00 pm, but it just doesn't feel like the right timing to me right now. Are folks okay if we push that break back? Great. Um and then um I might in a moment turn to Mario to introduce himself for translation. Um we have some elected officials here and if you could just um we have uh board member Garcia and board member Hermes. If we have others if you would let people know in the back just um so we can appropriately recognize folks. And then Mario Barahas is here to provide Spanish translation and we do have some folks on this item who have requested it. So, uh, Mario, would you introduce yourself? >> Yes, mayor. Thank you. Good afternoon. My name is Mario Barahas. I'll be uh interpreting uh with me also my colleagues Oscar Monroy and Elsarte. I'll now take a moment to introduce ourselves to our Spanish speaking audience. commentary. much. Thank you, Mayor. >> All right. Thank you. We are now on to agenda item two, which is uh related to the light rail, and I'll turn to our team to start the presentation. >> Good afternoon, mayor, members of the council, and our community. We're pleased to be here today to provide you with a capital extension and 10 west light rail project update. We're here requesting for action on one of two um options. Option one is to adopt an updated capital extension route. This would allow us to remain in the Federal Transit Administration's capital investment grant program. We are up against a spring 2026 deadline, which is why in decisions today are critically important. or option two to re-evaluate highcapacity transit options. This would involve doing a comprehensive work plan to evaluate other effective ways to provide transit service to West Phoenix. We would then notify the FTA of that decision to reevaluate future investments. Today I have with me our newly promoted assistant streets transportation director Marcus Coleman and light rail administrator still as well as Jessica Meford Miller chief executive officer with LA Metro and Trevor Colin who is chief of capital development. So without further delay I'm going to hand the presentation over to Jessica to continue with the slides. >> Thank you Amber. Good afternoon mayor members of council. We've got quite a lot of information to share with you today and we'll begin with introducing some of the project benefits of the capital extension light rail project and later in the presentation we will discuss project costs. Light rail in Phoenix has been transformational also for the cities of Tempi and Mesa. To date, our region, our local cities, and the Federal Transit Administration have invested about four4 billion dollars into our light rail system. We've seen a 500% return on that investment in the form of 20 billion of economic development in the communities immediately surrounding light rail. Of that 20 million, 16 billion has been investment in the private sector. Some of our largest institutional investments have come in the form of education through partnerships with entities including Arizona State University, University of Arizona, and Kraton University. Housing is one of the largest sources of economic development and 50,000 housing units have been added within a quarter mile of light rail. 27,000 of those housing units are located here in Phoenix and 286,000 of Phoenix's workers live within a quarter mile of light rail to date. The economic development potential of the three capital extension corridors which will be shared today range in the order of 3.2 to 4.3 billion. We'll touch on each of those in turn. Uh with respect to writership, we're continuing to see writership growth recently and a lot of that is due to our newer extensions including Northwest Extension, phase 2 and South Central Extension. In the quarter that ended last month, light rail wrership was up 20% uh year over year. Metro Parkway is already our second busiest station, followed by baseline and central and our South Central extension. We're seven months in and we're carrying about 9,000 passengers per day. We're going to take a look at uh the context of federal funding for light rail projects. As Amber mentioned, um Capital Extension is an FTA's capital investment pipeline, and to date, the Phoenix region has delivered five capital investment funded rail projects, each of them ahead of schedule and at or below budget. The capital extension has received a mediumigh rating in last year's annual report on funding recommendations to Congress. Projects need at least a medium uh to be considered for a capital investment grant. That medium rating is certainly not a guarantee of funding. As with each planned project, federal funding is uncertain until we apply and receive a decision. But the project rating is an important milestone as it shows that FTA considers capital extension to be a project worthy of funding a full funding grant agreement. Um, Valley Metro and City of Phoenix have discussed CAPEX with FTA leadership and we have received positive feedback about the project, but also uh City of Phoenix and Valley Metro's track record of delivering rail capital projects. I'll turn it over to Marcus now. Oh, Trevor. Thank you, Jessica. Mayor and Council, uh, the timeline before you gives you an overview of of some important milestones over the years related to both capital extension and the 10 West extension. The projects that would serve the capital and the I10 West corridor have been in local and regional plans dating back to the year 2000. They were originally envisioned as one overall project. In 2016, the project was split into two distinct phases. one to serve the capitol and the other to the second phase to go out along the I 10 west corridor out to 79th Avenue. In 2021, both Valley Metro and this council approved uh locally preferred alternative routes for each of the projects. In 2023, that first phase, the capital extension was accepted into the FTA's capital investment grant pipeline or program called project development. Importantly, in August of that same year, just eight months or four months later, uh there was a bill that was related to the enabling legislation for the county sales tax that passed the next year. However, that bill also included a geographic restrict restriction around the state capital building and and legislative houses that did affect uh the locally preferred alternative route for the project, which was approved a couple years previous. Since that time, we've been updating the route and most importantly engaging with community and stakeholders on options and alternatives. What I'll share now are three route alternatives and these all fall within that option one um that Amber discussed. I know you've been briefed on these, so I'll try to be brief in my briefing here. Um, all of these options would connect in at our downtown hub at 3rd Avenue at Washington and Jefferson. From there, it would continue west to 4th Avenue and then at 4th Avenue, the tracks would be combined to be double track 4th Avenue to the west. You're going to see this implemented on each of these three alternatives. This was a value engineering idea uh that came up in the design development that saved significant cost on these projects. 16th Avenue North, as I mentioned, continues with double track west along Jefferson to Cutway or approximately 14th Avenue where it heads north to Washington. And on Washington, it continues west around the uh Washington to Adam's curve and then heads north in the 16th Avenue alignment ending just short of Van Beern. In each of the three exhibits, the red dash line represents the presumed or assumed connection option for the I 10 West project. The second alternative is 16th Avenue South. Very similar on the east end. We continue west along Jefferson with a double track. And then we would head south on 16th Avenue to Adam to Madison where we would continue west to approximately 17th Avenue with an end of line near 17th Avenue in Madison. Again, the red dash line is the presumed future connection to I 10 West. The third alternative uh is 7th Avenue North shown again here in the purple. At this location, we would head north on 7th Avenue and instead of continuing west along Jefferson. So much earlier on the eastern end of the Capitol Mall, we would head north on 7th Avenue to Van Beern where we would turn west, go along Van Beern to approximately 16th Avenue with an end of line. Again, the red dash line would be that assumed connection to 10 west. I will mention that these first two that I showed are very similar to the design that we've been carrying for quite some time. They serve the same corridor along the same streets primarily that we've previously looked at and studied. 7th Avenue North is different. Um it is significantly different in the way that it goes up 7th Avenue and quick much sooner on Van Beern. And so that will have effects on the timelines that I'll show with you shortly. Uh Jessica referenced economic dea de development data in her comments. Um for each of these options, uh the economic development data is laid out here for you. Um the economic impact for the three options ranges from 3.2 to 4.3 billion. Permanent jobs are estimated anywhere from 10,800 to 14,700. And then tax generation over a decade is estimated anywhere from 188 million to 253 million. With each of these from an economic development lens, the 16th Avenue s uh south route would be the highest uh generating to be estimated there. with that within these uh uh route alignments within option one we've prepared some general timelines that first phase capital extension if if if the council were to direct a 16th Avenue north or south the overall delivery timeline would be looking at opening the project sometime in 2029 early 2030 for 7th Avenue North as I mentioned we would have to do a lot more study we would have to redo the environmental review on that whereas the or two are just a re-evaluation. This would be a redo. Uh we do see a a delivery on a 7th Avenue North in the year 2031. And just for context, that second phase is shown that 10 West extension which is currently programmed to be delivered in 2034. So within option one, if any of those were selected, I'm going to talk briefly about some of the next steps. I've referenced a couple times that any of these we would have to do some envir additional environmental work uh to update that and make sure we're meeting the the requirements of NEPA. Additionally, um we state law requires that any agreements that would happen between the city or valley metro and the Arizona department of administration would have to be reviewed by the joint legislative budget committee which is a subcommittee of both the house state house and senate. That state law is referenced there. We would have to advance to the next phase of the CIG phase uh grant program which is called engineering. Obviously, we would continue to complete the design and then we bid the construction work. And then finally, any decisions on route updates, if selected today, would also need to be approved by the Valley Metro Board of Directors as well as the MAC Regional Council. With that, I'll hand it back to Jessica for financial considerations. Thank you, Trevor. uh as with any major infrastructure project, it's important that we fully consider the cost of both constructing but also operating and maintaining the project. So I will walk you through uh some cost projects here. Uh some cost drivers just to note since it's not every day that we build a rail infrastructure project. Some of the bigger cost drivers include utility and site work that typically accounts for about 40% of project costs for a program like this. um unique to Capitol extension is that this is a very small project 1.3 to 1.4 miles uh for those alignments presented to you. So there are certain activities professional services design that you have to accomplish in a project like this regardless of the length. Um the combined capex and 10 west corridors is 11.4 miles in length. So the capex portion would be a little over 10% of that. Um but capex does bear a significant portion of those professional services. Now if we consider the cost of capital extension, the alignments that Trevor just shared with you are on average about $624 million to construct. If we take that plus the current RTIP uh budget projection for I 10 West, which is 2.7 million, the average cost per mile across both of those corridors is 292 million. Now, I want to contrast that with the cost of capital extension, which the average cost per mile is 498 million for the alternative uh shown before you today. Uh it's also worth mentioning that we've experienced significant growth in construction costs, but that's true across all sectors. The growth that we're seeing is largely due to increase in rock products, concrete, steel, and certainly labor, uh which is especially high in the Phoenix market. For this project to date, as with any other projects we would build, we are pursuing aggressive cost-saving strategies. Trevor mentioned the value engineering portion of capital extension and the savings achieved just from the shift from operating on Washington and Jefferson to operating a double track on Jefferson. So those kinds of cost-saving strategies early in the design process are a big part of how we are focusing on building. Uh looking at overall uh project cost and sources of funds here. Uh these are laid out for you. Just an explanation again. Overall project cost average for these three quarters is $624 million. The number on the right is the offset to 10 west and it's just the portion of the 10 west construction cost uh that would be offset by each unique corridor just depending on where that corridor actually terminates. And then before you at the bottom at as a reference we have the arip cost of the I 10 west expansion. I'll hand it over to Marcus now to talk about funding strategy. So as we look at the viability of these projects, it's important to understand the funding portion of it. Um, one of the major components of our funding for these light rail projects is our federal partners and that funding is normally received through our capital investment grant program. However, it's important to realize and to understand that without a full funding grant agreement executed, none of the federal funding is obligated to the city of Phoenix for any of the projects that we speak about today. From a local standpoint, we have to also do an analysis to make sure that we can withstand the the projects that we have shown for you today. Um, we've done a look at our T2050 program also including the restrictions that have been put in place by Prop 479 and based on some assumptions that we've made um through our program of continued sale tax growth and some other assumptions. Right now, the three options that have been displayed through option one are viable options from a local standpoint. For the federal piece of this, we would need to have federal participation for all three of these options in order for us to continue to deliver on all of the projects that are in T2050 program. we would not be able to withstand solely paying for these projects with T2050 for the capex or the I10 west and still deliver on the other pro projects in the program. So option two is the other option that is before the council today. This is the option to re-evaluate investment in high-capacity transit and reach in the west Phoenix area. As we look at this option, this allows for a few things. This provides our council flexibility to consider other alternatives other than the three alternatives been shared with you today for the capex. It also allows for the re-evaluation to include or not include the capital extension as we've just presented it today. Um this would also happen outside of that ensuing deadline that Amber spoke about earlier. Understanding that we're currently in the capital investment grant program. um we have the deadline of April 20th coming soon and so we need to have a decision made and be able to communicate that to the federal partners. So previous actions this item was taken to our citizens transportation commission on December 4th. Um at that commission meeting our commissioners were unable to come with a majority vote for option one nor option two. So the item moved forward without a recommendation from that commission. um December 17th, it was brought to the um transportation infrastructure and planning subcommittee. At that subcommittee, option two was uh recommended with more detail of instructing staff to evaluate the routes for light rail to reach the West Phoenix area in particular also to look at the council approved West Phoenix extension. So, the information I'm going to provide the council right now is really background information on the West Phoenix extension. How did that come to be? Um, that West Phoenix extension was a result of the West Phoenix high-capacity transit alternative analysis. This was alternative analysis that city of Phoenix did in conjunction with Valor Metro over a 2-year period of time from 2022 to 2024. The focus really was to address the growing population, residential population, and employment growth of the Mville area in West Phoenix. Also with looking at connectivity to the Desert Sky Transit Center, the LPA that was recommended to the city of Phoenix council at that time identified Indian School as a locally preferred alternative. There was one caveat to that LPA that still remained outstanding and that was to determine the connection point to existing system. Um the LPA that was recommended showed two options for a connection point of connecting into our original system. One being Central and Indian School, the other being 19th Avenue and Camelback. At the time, this project was slated to be into revenue service in the 2020 2041 2042 date. And so we felt that at that time when we got closer to implementation, we would be able to go back out to the community, do a more robust uh engagement along the connection point and make that determination and follow back with our council. So to give a frame of reference, what what the map is showing here today is an outline of that study area. Central Avenue to the east, 99th Avenue to the west, Camelback to the north, and McDow to the south. This shows that study area in reference to two critical pieces. How do we connect into our existing system which is shown in the purple line to the right side of the slide and then also what are what is the study area in reference to some of our new or proposed light rail extensions being to the south. The orange dash line is our capex and the red line is our I 10 west proposed lines. And so what is shown here is the locally preferred alternative that was actually presented to council and council actually approved once council approved this in summer of 2024. This map shows our councilly approved high-capacity transit alternatives and how this integrated into our plan system. As you see here, we have our cap capitol extension, our I 10 west. Um the line with 2041 is the west Phoenix alignment. And then also the blue vertical line that turns is our bus rapid transit line. So if council were to recommend option two with advancing West Phoenix extension, these are some of the next steps that we would need to undergo. So we would need to continue to do stakeholder engagement. This is a continuous part of the projects that we do um to determine where that connection point would be, whether that connection point is Central and Indian School or Central or 19th Avenue and Camelback. And then we would need to come back to our council and have them reaffirm um the LPA, the locally preferred alternative or route. Once that has been done, City of Phoenix will work closely with Valley Metro and our partners to do preliminary engineering work as well as preliminary design work in order for us to be able to develop a ROM, a rough order of magnitude or estimate, so to speak. Once we have that estimate, we'll work with our internal partners to make sure from a local standpoint that our T2050 program is viable and able to support um that change in the program. But we would also need to work with our partners at MAG to make sure that the regional program also reflects this change. And then we would need to make sure that we go through a rigorous process of ensuring that the project is competitive from a federal standpoint. We need to make sure whatever we do if we're seeking to get federal funds that the project is a competitive project. Lastly, one of the things that we would also need to make sure is that we are aware and coordinating with other programs and projects that are scheduled or plan for this alignment. One of those such plans for the West Phoenix alignment is the reinvisioning of Indian School project that our street transportation department is currently undergoing. I'll talk more about that in a few slides. This next slide gives us an idea of timing. Currently, the West Phoenix extension is slated to be in revenue service in 2041 2042. However, if council were to take the option of advancing the West Phoenix alignment, this is showing what could possibly happen as a revenue service date of 2037. You'll see here that we're looking at typically around a three-year period of time for public engagement as well as some pre-esigned work. We have talked with our partners at Valley Metro. there is a possibility to shorten that time frame to around a two-year time frame. It's important to understand the timing of advancing the West Phoenix line like I said in as it relates to the West Phoenix um as it relates to the Indian School reinvisioning Indian school project. Our street transportation department is currently in the process of the design for this project that is focused on 39th Avenue to 91st Avenue with providing safety elements throughout that corridor. Center medians, signalized intersections, wider sidewalks, things of that nature to actually increase pedestrian safety. The design started in August of 2025. Construction is slated to start in 2028 with the completion of construction in 2030 2031. After construction, there is a post period of three years that we have to do a performance period where we report back to the Federal Highway Administration of the statistics of what has what are the results that we've seen throughout that corridor. Um, one of the things that we would like to mention is this is a opportunity for us to receive $25 million um from FHWA for the construction period. This was not intended for the design. So, what this would mean is we would need to work closely with our street transportation department to see if there is an opportunity to try to marry these two projects um to make them both collaborate and be able to be brought into fruition. We understand that timing of these two projects makes that difficult but not necessarily un unable to move that forward. However, um, one of the other alternatives that we would be able to do is utilize what would have been local funding you used for the local match to do improvements from 75th Avenue to 91st Avenue to in implement those safety improvements through those that corridor and then incorporate the safety improvements from 75th Avenue to 39th Avenue into the West Phoenix alignment. This would delay the installation of those improvements, but this would ensure that the corridor would be able to receive all the safety improvements. Next, which is a key part of what we've done over these last few months, is the community engagement. Wanted to make sure that the mayor and council here that you all have the information of what we've been doing to make sure that this information is reaching our community. We've had over nine public meetings. These meetings have been in person and virtual. Um, Valley Metro has hosted information on their project website. All meeting materials are posted there as well as we've posted a narrated version of the meeting so that if individuals were unable to attend during the live meeting, whether that be virtual or in person, they can go back and follow along through a narrated version of the meeting, which was offered in English and Spanish, which will allow them to have that feel of being in person. We've done posters and flyers. We've also done pop-up events, knowing that it's critically important for us to show up to places where people are and not always expect the individuals to come to us. And then we've done one-on-one stakeholder meetings, especially with key stakeholders and canvasing throughout the corridors. And so, a summary, this is fresh off the presses presses hot as this morning. We have approximately 8,800 um survey forms that have been completed and filled out. And this is the recommendation summary that we've received. 47% are in favor of moving forward with picking a locally preferred alternative for the capex which has been shown to this council today. 53% are in favor of a re-evaluation of highcapacity transit and how it reaches the west west Phoenix area. Um the second piece, the individuals who chose to move forward, this gives us an opportunity to give more detail of what are the options that they felt were most preferable. 16 North with 49%, 16 South with 34%, and then lastly is 7th Avenue North with 16%. And so that brings us back to the reason that we're here. staff is requesting action from this council um to either one adopt a locally preferred alternative um so that we can continue in our capital investment grant program or two to do a re-evaluation of how we invest in high-capacity transit reaching West Phoenix which could include or not include the capex and also could include advancement of the West Phoenix extension. >> Wonderful. Thank you so much. We'll begin with public comment. um for folk and I'll I'm going to call our first two speakers while they have time. I'll explain how this works. Uh we will have first uh Yaldine Per Perez and then Miriam Munoz. So all public comment uh if you're upstairs would occur at the podium here unless you request uh an accommodation. In that case we could bring a microphone to you particularly if you have a mobility challenge. Uh if you are downstairs and have the ability to come up, you're welcome to do that. But you can also speak from downstairs, we will have some virtual public comment and that'll sort of appear as a speaker above. And Spanish translation is available. Uh many people chose to pause while they are in the midst of their presentation or you can have one translation at the end of of your time speaking. Uh you have two minutes to speak and there is a timer. A yellow dot will let you know when you're approaching the end of your time. And u Miss Perez followed by Miss Munoz. Miriam Munos. Hello Mayor Gos and city council. My name is Perez Arment. I am a student at Mville High School and I attend the gifted sector, the gifted and talented. Um, I stand before you to ask that you guys support the light rail and support the re-evaluation for the transit alternative service into West Phoenix Indian School Road to the Desert Sky Transit. I personally support this and ask you guys to support this along with us because it is amazing for the opportunities that it provides students like us, families like us and upcoming rising youth. I have a personal experience and a story that I would like to share with you. My junior year, I had a lot of struggles getting around. A lot of programs and abilities are accessible in Arizona, but not without transportation. One of the issues that I had was with my ACT camps. I was not able to attend the ACT camps how I promised myself I would because I did not have access to go into downtown. And I've heard this sentiment spread amongst many of our students. Many of our students are not aware of the college opportunities that are out there. They are not aware of the opportunities that they have for resources for liaison help and community help because they do not have access to transportation. One of the big things between our students is being able to go and search out opportunities. That is one of the things that a high potention and kind of controversial area as Marbel High School has been for the past year is to improve our name and to get our students out there. It has been an immense struggle to do that because many of our students just don't have access to transportation. It's heartbreaking. It's one of the biggest things for us as a community to be able to get out there and give back what has been given to us. And it is simply not possible without transportation. And for many who sit here and support the other option just the capex proction option sit in a position of privilege. We live in a world where we do not have access to go downtown. So I ask you please support Indian to school road. Well that was phenomenal use of two minutes uh very much on time. And I guess I should have explained, but in the future if folks who are waiting, if you could kind of queue in that area behind as opposed to at the podium, that would be wonderful. And and we do uh you can't cut down in front. You got to go around uh back unless you need an accommodation. And then we'd bring the microphone to you. Uh Miriam is next. And then Geraldine Hernandez. >> Good afternoon. Hello. Um Mayor Ggo and city council. I am a student of the gifted and talented academy within Mville High School and I also ask you to support the expansion of the light rail and I support option two to re-evaluate other transmit alternatives to support West Phoenix. Please um and I am standing here today in order to share my experience as a student who depends on public public transportation and I'm speaking for many students who have to as well. Every morning I take the bus to school and every day seems like a challenge. I've stood at bus stops that aren't even marked, wondering if I'm at the right place. I've had bus drives past me while I was waiting just because I didn't know I had to raise my hand. When you're already nervous about being late, those moments stick with you. Most most days it takes around 20 to 30 minutes to get to school and sometimes the bus is late or doesn't show up at all. When that happens, I miss my first period. I take AP classes and missing that time matters. It's stressful trying to catch up when you already feel behind, and that affects how you start your entire day. Transportation issues don't just affect school. A lot of important opportunities for me and other students are along Central Avenue, like ACT prep and civic engagement programs. My parents are older and can't always drive me, so getting there is another obstacle that I have to figure out myself. If there was a light rail here, so many of these problems would disappear. It would be reliable, clear, and safer for our community. More than that, it would open doors to students who have never had access to that before, like me. It would also connect us to schools, programs, jobs, and civic engagement spaces and currently that currently feel out of reach for students like me. A light rail wouldn't just help get us around. It would make us feel more connected to our city and to opportunities that can change our future. So, I ask you guys to consider a system that works for students who are trying the best to show up and learn and succeed. Thank you. >> Thank you, Miss Hernandez. Next, followed by Michelle Luna. Hello, Mayor Ggo and city council. My name is Geraldine Hernandez and I am a student of Mville Gifted and Talented. I ask you to support the expansion of the light rail and I support option two to re-evaluate other transit opt al alternatives to serve west Phoenix. Please select the locally preferred alternative extension along Indian school road to Desert Sky Transit Center. And I support this because the system can help students expand their skills and experiences out to downtown. the same reasons as Yadin stated where there were so many programs in downtown that a lot of students couldn't reach because they didn't have the public transport over there or because the buses were really late or took a while to get over to downtown. I know personally a friend who was a tutor at an ACT camp as well. And because of the buses, he wouldn't get home until late around 6:00 p.m. And that was very timeconuming on him cuz he has a lot of other extracurriculars that he has to do and he has to get home at an earlier time to make up for those extracurriculars. And it it is very hard for other students who have told me that they couldn't make it to such cams or can make it to other programs that would help them with school and that they want to do their dream job or do internships at this really cool place but couldn't go over there because they didn't have the transportation. And this light rail will really help students reach downtown and reach an area where they can live out their opportunities and their dreams. Thank you. >> Thank you. Michelle Luna is next, followed board by board member Denise Garcia. >> Hello, Mayor Ggo and city council. My name is Michelle Luna and I am a student at the gifted and talented academy at Mville High School. I ask you to support the light railroad expansion to the west side and I support option two to re-evaluate other transit alternatives to serve West Phoenix. Please select the locally preferred alternative extension along Indian School Road to Desert Sky Transit Center. I support this because the extension will connect residents from the west side to downtown Tempi and Mesa. This would benefit people who work in those neighborhoods as they would only need to walk to light rail station and catch the train here on the west. And not only that, but students who live uh on this side of town and attend one of ASU's campuses would be able to go to get to and from campus easier as well. As my uh peers said, uh opportunities such as ACT camps would be more accessible for us. Um, not only that, but I know there would be obstacles while the railroad is being built and even after its construction. But I believe the accessibility that this extension would bring outweighs the cons. Um, I am here to speak not just for my current community for but for the next generation too as well as we are all one and this plan will help connect us with the rest of our fellow neighbors. Thank you. >> Thank you. Uh Denise Garcia is next, followed by Cecilia. And I should say super impressive to do that in high school. I did not speak at any public meetings when I was a high school student. So very impressive. >> Push. Hi, this is Amy Scanland. I am a uh pharmacy technician and concerned citizen. >> And I think Denise Garcia, who was this? I am for the light rail 100%. >> I know we we are awesome. There are a lot of people with a lot of opinions on light rail. Um >> I'm sorry. >> Could could I call I didn't call you, did I? >> I'm on the list to speak. I'm Amy Scandlin. >> I know, but we just have to We have a list in order. >> I was supposed to be second person to speak on the list. >> I uh we'll call you uh >> I'm sorry. I thought it was a line. >> Oh, it would be a really long line. Um, but we're super grateful everyone came and thank you for your time. Uh, we will get to you. Okay, Den. Uh, yes. Uh, and Okay, great. Thank you. >> Thank you, Madame Mayor. Um, city council. Uh, my name is Denise Garcia and I'm a public servant and I live and work in the Mville precinct. The discussion surrounding light rail in West Phoenix has been ongoing for years. This is not a new conversation. Because of that, the decision before you today is not only important, it is crucial. It will shape access, opportunity, and quality of life in our community for generations. I'm here to voice my support for option two and to respectfully ask city council to re-evaluate high-capacity transit alternatives to serve West Phoenix, specifically the West Phoenix locally preferred alternative, the Indian School Road extension. I strongly believe that extending light rail along Indian School Road will be successful and beneficial for our community. Our streets are already congested with a high volume of traffic. light rail would provide a sustainable, reliable option that supports working families, seniors, students, and those who depend on public transportation every day. I also want to speak to the importance of how decisions are made. Recently, um in our community, uh residents were invited to forum surveys. Uh forum surveys were distributed. Families, employees, and stakeholders were told their voices mattered. But when the decision was made, it did not reflect what the community asked for. The people most impacted felt unseen, unheard, and disregarded. That experience matters because when communities stop believing their voices count, trust is broken. Today, you not only not just, excuse me, voting on a transit option, you are deciding whether this community can trust that its voice truly matters. Please do not let this be another moment where the community speaks and government looks away. Listen to your constituents. Listen, let let this decision honor community voices, build trust, and create opportunities for generations to come. Thank you. >> May I ask >> Thank you so much. Yes. >> May I ask board member Garcia a question? >> Yes, >> sure. >> Thank you. And thank you so much. It sounds like you are supportive of light rail overall as a public transit option. >> Yes. >> Um, just have one question. Do you think that the city council should respect the will of the voters and move the capital extension forward? Absolutely. >> Okay. Thank you, board member Gracia, and thank you for your service to the community. >> Cecilia uh is next, followed by board member Ed Hermes. >> Good evening, Mayor Ggo, city council members. My name is Cecilia Moreno, and I'm a resident of the Tomahawk neighborhood, District 5. I was around when we worked to get the bus transit to the west valley to to go further than 67th Avenue. Also, when the bus lines went farther west to connect with Aenddale so that the students could get to Esta Community College and north to Glendel Community College. Light rail was voted on decades ago. At one time, it was to travel in the center between the east and westbound lanes on the I 10. It was originally to be completed by 2016. We are 30 years in the process and still they haven't started. Traffic on the Interstate 10 will only be getting worse. The Phoenix Council obviously doesn't live in the West Valley. With new construction planned for the West Valley, the commute time will only increase. I realize that option two will write revitalize the Mville area and encourage light rail use, but I am tired of re re-evaluation. We have re-evaluated for 30 years, and it is time to act. I believe we need to alleviate the traffic on I 10 first and work in the other direction to revitalize older communities. People in the west valley need to have a reliable means to communicate and light rail will be the means to bring that about. I will probably never live to see the completion of the light rail in the west valley. But I have family and that live in the and commute daily. Heavy traffic only leads to comm pollution in our city. How much longer must we wait? Thank you. Thank you. Ed is next followed. We'll let Amy Scanland after Ed. >> Thank you so much uh Mayor Ggo and members of city council. My name is Ed Hermas. I serve on the Osour School District governing board live along Indian School and 7th Avenue. I'm here to ask you to vote yes on option one to keep CAPEX on track. Uh I had the privilege of working and volunteering for the Proposition 104 campaign. I still fit into the shirt that I got 10 years ago here. Uh, and it was wonderful to ask voters to extend and increase a transaction privilege tax in exchange for traffic relief, in exchange for green transportation, exchange for safety improvements. And as we went door to door and as was on our ballot, we showed voters a map. A map that included the capax extension, a map that included not one but two light rail routes to West Phoenix, as well as two BRT routes in West Phoenix. And I'm asking you today to vote yes on option one to keep that promise to keep 104 uh map moving forward. Uh this is a an important vote and really the first step towards West Phoenix, certainly not the last one. Option one will also bring muchneeded jobs and growth to the area around the capital and in West Phoenix. It's estimated to bring 4 billion dollar in economic development, $14,000 permanent jobs according to the governor's office of strategic planning and budgeting, as well as around $250 million in nearly immediate federal funding and matching funds. So, for all those reasons, we ask that you vote yes on option one and keep things moving forward for Prop 104. Thank you. Mayor, may I ask board member Hermes a question? >> Yes. >> Thank you. Thank you, mayor. Um, thank you so much for your comments. Um, do you think that the city council should respect the will of the voters to continue the capital extension forward? >> Yes. >> Thank you. >> Thank you. Thank you. >> Amy is next, followed by Lao Gonzalez. All right. Uh, good afternoon everybody. This is Amy Scandlin. I'm a concerned citizen and pharmacy technician. I have to say I am shocked that this was even considered. The idea of taking a planned light rail route and switching it potentially with a BRT. Now, I'm from the west side and frankly this isn't fair. Uh first the east side got served uh all the way out as far as Mesa and the first few extensions. Then they went a little further north the metro center. Then they got the south extension. So to begin with, West Phoenix was made to come last in line of the four directions. And now you're just going to say when it's finally our turn on the west side, uh you're just potentially getting a BRT. Frankly, this is unjust. It sets up West Phoenix as a secondass region of the city. It is snobbish and it is just not fair. That's the first part of it. The second part of it is too many people want to treat it as if light rails and public transportation is some kind of an optional thing that maybe it's a luxury we can get around to once all the stadiums have been built, once we built the best stadium. Or, you know, maybe it's a welfare system for those who can't afford to drive. But that's very outdated thinking. Climate change is one of the worst problems civilization is facing right now. And, you know, it's a mentality that at best belonged in the 1950s. And I think we should do better. I think we need to have capex one go through as it has been planned for years so the west side can get a fair shake. And so Phoenix gives some sign that it's actually taking the climate crisis seriously. And uh thank you very much for listening. >> Thank you. Eduardo Lo Gonzalez next followed by >> asking me a question. >> I'm sorry. >> Councilwoman Hernandez >> ask me a question. >> Yeah. Thank you. Thank you, mayor. Uh thank you for joining us today. Uh just have two questions for you really quick. Um, it sounds like or can you share with us if you support light rail as a form of public transit in Phoenix? >> Yes, I do. I think it's an essential form of public transportation. I think it's the minimal necessary for a city this size in this day and age. >> Thank you. And my just my last question, um, do you think that the city council should respect the will of the voters to move capital extension forward? Yes, I think it should respect the the will of the voters and should move the capex extension forward. >> Thank you. >> Uh Amy, Councilwoman Gordonado, >> ma'am, I have a question for you. Um so is it your belief um that the vote right now that's at the table is to turn Capex into BRT or Indian school? like what what is your feeling on capex? What capex is and what the alternative route which covers majority of Mville um is cuz I heard you mention BRT. >> The alternative route, well, if they had considered that alternate road up uh 7th A in the very beginning, that would have been one thing. But at first they considered routes that went near the kind of capital district and only kind of at the last minute decided okay we want to add this option on a table. So I think it's really kind of hanky at best to think they would add this option is kind of just it doesn't look like it was a serious option. It looks like it was just a way to try to kill the project. I mean, if it had been on the table from the get-go, I could have seen it deserving consideration, but this just looks wrong. Why are they trying to obstruct at the last minute any way they can? That's certainly what this looks like. So, just to be clear, right, BRT right now is not on the table. Um the only two options that are on the table right now is capex and the second option um that we're looking at is moving the Indian school line forward which would cover majority of the neighborhoods in Mville. I just wanted to clarify that just >> I do not support turning the capit project to a BRT. Now, there are other BRT projects that are planned to go to the west side, and I think they're fine, but switching a light rail out for a BRT, that is nonsense. >> Okay. Yeah. Well, just to be clear, that's not on the table today. Thank you. >> All right. Any further questions for me? >> No, you're good. Thank you, >> Mayor. Mayor, >> Councilwoman Stark, >> in defense of BRT, when I voted on Prop 104, there was a map that showed BRT going along Bell Road and we did have a series of public hearings on BRT and I advocated for Bell Road because it was shown on a map and it isn't moving forward yet. I have been promised that someday we will have BRT along Bell Road. So, I still believe in BRT and I think it really is effective in other parts of the city that may never see light rail like portions of North Phoenix Bell Road which I actually live off of. Thank you, Mayor. Thank you, Mr. Gonzalez, followed by Diane Barker or no, is it Leo CIS? I'm sorry, Mr. Gonzalez and then Mr. Ciss. Thank you, mayor, vice mayor, and council members. Uh just here on behalf of the light rail, and I'm against uh the expansion on Indian School. Um my business is located on 4324 West Indian School Road and I think it would be devastating for all the businesses around there. Uh we could only see what happened on Central and more than 500 businesses went under during the construction. When I first moved on this uh Maraveville uh area, uh it was devastated uh by the recession in 2008. Uh the plaza where I'm located, it was only 15% occupied. So, it took years to get back into a good uh traffic flow for the business. And if we do the the rail on Indian school, it would be devastated for all the businesses on Indian school. So I want to be against that. I think too many business will close down as it is right now with the situation that we having all over the country with ICE and all the problems that we having. We have a big challenge in front of us and a lot of businesses they have already closed down and uh if this happens then more business will be closing down. So I don't think it'll be good for the Marville district to have this light rail uh approved. Thank you. >> Leo is next, followed by Diane Barker. >> Hi, my name is Leo Ciz and I'm in support of the of the light rail expansion. Um I was or I am a high school graduate of the year 2022 and that light rail uh was my life was my transportational lifeline. Uh I had lived about 20 minutes away from a car uh using a car um from my high school, but my parents they only had one car and I had two other brothers and well uh both my parents needed to go to work. So I had to rely on the bus system and light rail route to get to my high school. um they trusted me with it because I had grown accustomed to it um throughout my uh because they were teaching me uh leading up to my freshman year experience. Um and in the summers the light rail was a necessary option because all the buses were full and the AC units on the on those buses weren't as good as the ones on the light rail. And that's why I preferred taking the light rail. Um it was a necessary option not just for me but for the other students in the surrounding um was it Indian school park uh road where the three high schools are uh central coding academy and um what was the other one? Xavier. uh all of us relied on that light on that light rail to get home and to our extracurricular activities. So, the people of Mville deserve the light rail expansion and to be interconnected to the greater Phoenix uh region. Thank you. >> Thank you. Diane is next, followed by Hilda Hernandez. >> Well, good afternoon, Mayor and City Council. Diane Barker and I'm in district 7 and you know this is really one of my favorite conversations. I'm really pleased to listen to people whether it's pro or con. Uh I am for just the flat say a better transit system actually better mobility all over. I have a car but I'm car free. What do I mean by that? Well, I came out here like uh gosh almost four decades ago. Didn't have a car. So, I started using the bus and I am sharing with you. I was out at uh in Mville and over at um the high school uh for the project 35. I am surprised that what you're talking about the alternative and I would be for two but I'm really not for ever either one because it does not give a comprehensive of mobility that's needed in this valley. You can have BRT tomorrow. You already have the express buses which I use and you can run them on I 10 and by golly that I 10 needs that. And when that proves that, then you put above fast light rail on there. Uh the project 35 needs to be connected with the Indian school that ends up on 39th according to your own uh presentation. And all I can say is is that when you started out, and Jim, you've got to know this, 75 million for light rail in 2008 and now it's up to half a billion. If we don't watch out where we're gone, we're going to end up there. And that's in the poor house. Get off of this idea. Uh I do walk the talk. And part of it is walking walking and using transit. Thank you. >> Thank you. Hilda is next, followed by Victoria Stall. Good afternoon. Uh, good evening, Mayor Ggo, members of council. I'm here to speak in opposition of option one. Um, you received about 500 letters from Mayor Veil community members in opposition due to increased crime and unsafe spillover. Our community is already teameing with unhoused drug users, persons who work the street. People who own or rent in our community work entire days and look forward to restful and peaceful moments which nightly are disrupted by the loud train whistle from 19th Avenue. Um the light rail is is only going to bring that constant ding-ding. It is too close to our community. Um, I don't oppose the light rail. I think it's a great thing. Um, my intention was to retire here because I saw the growth in the light rail. Someday I don't want to have auto insurance. I don't want to have any of that. My intention was that. But what I see is a lot of danger. I would not go to a light rail station that was brand new like the one on Central and I think it's around Watkins. Brand new. And it's just teeming with um shopping carts. Um just people that look dangerous to me. They don't they dress differently. I know they might not be dangerous, but I see them in our streets and I know they are dangerous. So, you're going to bring more of that to our community where we're trying to clean it. And I will tell you, our council member has not returned my calls. I've been trying to meet with her. I've been trying to talk to her about our area, about our issues, but unless the last letter that I wrote to you, I said, "Unless I'm I'm unhoused, undocumented, or on drugs, mental health issues, your your people are not responding, >> mayor." Counciloman, >> thank you. Um, and Hilda, thank you for your comments. Um, but I know that my bathy on my team has been in contact with you. No, ma'am. >> So, I'll make sure I will make sure she follows up with you. >> I don't want to speak to you right now. >> I >> It is not the time. >> What? >> Uh, Vic, let's see. Victoria Stall is next, followed by Annie Elden. Okay. Uh, Annie is next, followed by, uh, Patricia Jimenez. >> Good afternoon. My name is Annie Elden. I am a member of district 4 here in Phoenix, Arizona. And I am here to request that the city council and Mayor Ggo supports item two and option one um which would continue the current plans to extend the light rail. Um, I personally a couple years ago, um, canvased and phone banked to make sure that Prop 105 did not pass because that would have stopped the light rail as well. And um I would I also supported uh G uh Mayor Ggo in her campaign to become mayor and in her campaign to uh be in district 8. Um so years ago. Um with the understanding that she would support public transportation. And I even remember a a story I believe that she told about being um unable to move after an accident and having a very difficult time getting around and um she didn't want that to happen to other people. So I would like to see that upheld and I hope the rest of city council would also support that. Again, we helped to keep Prop 105 from getting passed years ago because the city of Phoenix and the residents here wanted to keep the light rail moving forward and extending. So, let's honor that and keep it extending as we said years ago. Thank you. Uh, Patricia Jimenez is next filed by followed by Kyle Foxcroft. >> Thank you. Good. Good afternoon, Mayor and Council members. My name is Patricia Himenez and I'm a longtime resident of this community. I am here today because residents and business owners along Indian School War Indian School Road feel misled in the dark about the city plans for the future light rail expansion. At the December 17th meeting when we were told that capex was not directly impacting Indian school on behalf of myself and my fellow district 4 residents I wish to voice that our severe displeasure is how the council has conducted itelves. Since then, we have learned that several members of council wish to eliminate eliminate kamics and now know that they might be an amended agenda item to move forward a potent to potentially expedite the light rail project on Indian school road. This information was not clearly communicated to the people who will be most affected and were not properly informed or involved. There has been no legitimate stakeholder process of any time. We as a community felt feel misled and taking for granted. Just last week the community learned that true intent of proposal for option two in fact advances the light rail on Indian school. That matters because the this corridor is a business corridor, a residence corridor and a places where many district residents work depend for their livelihood. Before any decision is made, we're asking for transparency, honesty, and meaningful community input. We need a further study on the streets and businesses that will be impacted. Direct outreach of residents, business owners along Indian School, and a clear knowledge for the city, city officials about what option true truly means. The community deserves to be table before any decisions are going to be moving forward. I respectfully ask the city to pause, be transparent, engage the people that that live in this community and we are for option number one. Thank you. >> Kyle is next and then we'll try Victoria online. >> All right. Good afternoon or evening uh city council and mayor. My name is Kyle Foxcraftoft. I am the treasurer of Phoenix Community Alliance as well as the chair of the multimotal connectivity committee. Quite the mouthful. For more than 40 years, Phoenix Community Alliance has represented downtown businesses and property owners and in partnership with the city of Phoenix has worked to support the revitalization and long-term economic health of downtown Phoenix. I'm here today to express strong support for Option One regarding the Capitol light rail extension. Option one reflects years of coordinated planning and it aligns with the current federal funding cycle and it preserves momentum that cannot easily be created if lost. Much of this corridor is composed of vacant or underutilized state and city-owned parcels and without transit investment, these sites cannot realistically be redeveloped to their highest and best use. Light rail is what enables density, mixeduse development and long-term tax based growth. and public ownership is what enables community priorities, namely affordability and workforce housing, to become a reality. Option one unlocks real economic opportunity. Stepping away from option one would not simply delay progress. It would reset years of work, inject uncertainty, and limit Phoenix's ability to act while all of the conditions previously mentioned are in alignment. On behalf of Phoenix Community Alliance, I respectfully urge city council to support option one and allow this already planned and federally funded investment to move forward. Thank you for your time. >> Uh, Victoria next and then Norman Shurock. >> Hello. Can everybody hear me? >> Yes, we can. >> Hello, Mayor Ggo and council. My name is Victoria Stall. Uh I'm a member of the Mville Village Planning Committee and a lifelong Phoenix resident. I ask you to support the expansion of the light rail and I support option two to re-evaluate other transit alternatives to serve West Phoenix. I have seen my community grow over the years into a beautiful and vibrant community. Unfortunately, we have still had to wait decades to see the light rail and have access to highspeed transit in our community. This is absolutely unacceptable. Access to the light rail is vital to connect our community to the rest of Phoenix. Mville Village is the youngest village in the Phoenix and we deserve to have these opportunities and we deserve to have them sooner rather than later. I am here today to ask you to support option two and re-evaluate how we get light rail to West Phoenix. Mville deserves to be connected to the rest of the city and Tempe and Mesa and we should not have to wait for the next generation to be able to utilize it. I implore you to re-evaluate our current light rail options and do not leave my community behind. Thank you. >> Thank you. Norman is next, followed by Christian Bearden. >> Good afternoon, Mayor and Councilman and Vice Mayor. Thank you for your time today. My name is Norm Sharak. I've been part of a Mville Indian School Coalition. My business served the Mville area since 1985. I want to be clear. I'm here not oppose public transportation. I'm asking to take a neutral position by pausing and re-evaluating the Indian school route because it hurts all the business on there. We're already been in impacted by the AOT mess that has been happening. Currently, my business been taken by imminent domain. Currently, we finally found a spot about a year and a half later. Now, we're been told that light rail is coming over there. So, we have to redo everything from scratch. That mean we're going to go out of business here soon. This is not affect this is not affect this is not only about my business but this will affect the community as well too. If small business are being harmed communities will be harmed as well too because due to the homelessness and in the area that Indian school suffer right now. Indian school is a hot zone currently for homeless shelter. It's all over the place. We can't get police in there. We can't get anybody to respond to all the issues that we're having. buildings being vandalized. Over millions of dollars are being stolen and coppers, pipes, everything you name it. We have one building that has no electricity because they decide to steal all the copper lines out of there and all the power lines in there. SRP doesn't want to do anything because it's not their problem. They say we can't serve it. So, this is not only about me, but this is about the community that we serve Mville since 1985. It's not about my business or me alone. It's all of us in this. We're all asking if we were not given an option of Indian school then we have to go to capax option one but it seems like Mville lack of tr I mean valley lack of transp transparency that hasn't spoke to anybody about this or any stakeholder meeting with business owner there is about 800 plus businesses that will be affected in that area that being all said okay thank Thank you. Christian is next, followed by Ismael Abu Shanab. >> Mayor, council, my name is Christian Bearden, and I represent the Arizona Building Construction Trades Council, which is comprised of 17 local unions and over 22,000 of the highly skilled workers that are needed to build this state every day. Arizona building uh trades is supportive of light rail expansion as it creates good paying union jobs in the city. Our unions uh understand better than most the political realities working in Arizona uh and understand the political opposition the city faces here today. That being said, whatever decision the council makes, uh, we want to make sure that these projects continue to create good paying union jobs so Arizona workers can work close to home and provide for their families. Thank you. >> Thank you. Ismael is next, followed by Guadalupe Galves. >> Hello and council members. My name is Ishmael Abushab. I am born and raised in Phoenix, Arizona. I own a property on Indian School and I am opposing the uh number two option because I also own properties on South Central and our buildings there have been vacant for eight plus months and nobody wants to rent it because there's no more traffic. After the light rail went in South Phoenix, there's no more traffic. It went from I don't have the numbers how much uh cars per day but it went down to single lanes and even then it's a ghost town. So I do not want the um light rail on Indian school because my tenants also they're not going to be able to pay their rent and they have employees the employees they have families. So this is going to be a negative impact for all the building owners and every all the community in Indian school. So for that reason I'm going to choose option one. Thank you. >> Guadalupe is next. Uh followed by Ismael Morales. Phoenix. >> Can we do a translation? >> What? >> Whatever. Okay, that's great. >> Okay. May. >> Okay. Yeah. Good afternoon uh count uh good afternoon mayor and good afternoon to all the members of the council. I am here because I support option number one to evaluate other forms or other al alternatives. Is that option number two? >> Option two. >> I'm sorry I can't hear. I'm trying to interpretation. Thank you. Phoenix Baloric. connect. Gracias uh to support Phoenix um and I support the extension across the Indian school to the center of the um dismissed transit. My um support is because West Phoenix deserves a better infrastructure and transportation network that allows for faster and more efficient communication between downtown and West Phoenix. It is my way. Um in this way many people looking for jobs and many students in the course in their courses will be able to reach their destination quickly and we can help future generations to have um to be have access to the west valley and we'll be better connected and we will see Phoenix as a great city um at a national um at a national level developed um and this way they can be well connected. Thank you. >> Thank you so much. Is Ismael Morales? Okay, go ahead. >> All right. Um, thank you council members. Welcome. Um, my name is Ismael Morales. Some of you may know me as the alley guy in Phoenix on Tik Tok, Instagram, and YouTube creating foodie and transit content. Of course, I've been on other issues regarding transit here on this D on this podium. Two years ago, on this day, the Northwest Extension to Metro Center opened. A lot of fanfare and excitement with that. Just 7 months ago, the light rail to South Phoenix opened with a lot of fanfare and excitement. It was a very exciting time. The writership does show both are very successes for our city. Light rail is indeed a great transit option for our ever growing city. Thanks to who, you may ask? The voters of this city who have repeatedly been asked if we support light rail. I think it's been like four times, three or four times. It has been a big yes. The will of the voters have spoke and the capital extension and the I 10 West need to be built. Despite that, the Arizona legislature put the capital provision on light rail in exchange for putting Prop 479 on the ballot, which voters said yes. This city council should not distract by a simple letter from several members of the Arizona legislature. If you choose option 1, 16th Avenue South, that will be the best choice to avoid any conflict with state law. I personally live in District 3, but work in District 5. I commute every day using public transit, and for the record, I even own a car. The demand is needed in the morning and the afternoon. We are now a big city, not a huge suburb. We need to stop acting as such. And I also want to remind voters people that T2050 and FRA 479 funds, those are funds for street improvements. I'm sure those are going to get improved. I literally come from my classroom to speak to you here today. And yes, let's reflect on the on the on on our late mayor and council member Delda Williams and Ed Pastor who advocated for light rail and advocated for this. And let's not get derailed by misinformation. Indian skill will be built. Thank you very much. >> And I have a second is Abushnava with it. Is do are there two? No. >> So the man that two people the the gentleman before Ismael Morales there's two people under that name with two different emails but same spelling of name. >> So same >> Morales just for the record >> right but before you there was a gentleman named Ismael Abushab Abushab >> and he registered apparently twice with two different emails. >> Okay. Uh we'll have Alexis Sky followed by Diane Brown. Thank you for everybody. Um, council member and mayor. Um, I live over in Mesa and I have lived in Phoenix in Arizona for past 10 years. Um, I used to live over on 19th Avenue in Calbeck and I know so I know how the light rail affects the area. Um, I am in favor of the light rail going forward um with option one for the uh 16th Avenue and North option. Um, I feel like that's the best option because it allows people be connected in north and south Phoenix as well as the connecting routes with the different bus routes that connect um on 16th Avenue. And um I appreciate your time and thank you very much. Diane Brown is next. Thank you. >> Thanks. Uh, good evening, Mayor Ggo, Vice Mayor Hajj Washington, and members of the city council. My name is Diane Brown. I'm the executive director of the Arizona Public Interest Research Group, Arizona PR. Arizona PR has been actively involved in advancing transportation options at the local, state, and federal level for over two decades. We have greatly appreciated your leadership, Mayor Ggo, Councilwoman Pastor, Councilwoman Stark, on ballot measures, including 104, 105, and 106, as well as council members that have supported these measures in an official or in a community level capacity. The fact that the city council is deliberating light rail near the capitol or to Mville is a strong signal that Phoenix remains committed to advancing, not derailing, public transit and that you recognize members of the public in both areas want light rail brought to their community. To us, the decision is not about which light rail line, but which light rail line goes first. As you consider the choices before you, Arizona Per encourages you to proceed with the most viable option, expedite the line's operability without sacrificing public input, and remain focused on forwarding both lines, keeping the public informed of progress and opportunities to engage along the way. Thank you. >> Uh thank you so much. We have hit six o'clock, so we're going to go ahead and recess for 15 minutes uh break and we will be back shortly. Thank you. Are we close? Good evening. Thank you for your attendance. We will begin in 30 seconds. Please find your seats. Thank you. Welcome back to our January 27th meeting and public comment. We will begin with Hector Montes followed by Andres Montes. Mayor, Vice Mayor, and members of city council. My name is Eto Montes and I'm here to respectfully urge you to consider small businesses in your vote to the expansion of the light rail into West Phoenix. When the light rail expansion moved through South Phoenix, businesses were promised revitalization, economic opportunity, and long-term growth. What many experienced instead were years of construction, restricted access, lane reductions, loss of turns, and declining foot traffic. Sorry, I'm a bit nervous, you know, due to the nature of it. You're doing great. >> Some businesses reported revenue losses so severe they had a force they were forced to reduce hours and staff just like we did even after construction ended permanent turns restrictions and alter traffic patterns continue to keep customers away. The city itself acknowledged the harm by rolling out emergency small business grants just just proving that the impact was undeniable. But grants don't replace customers and ribbon cutings don't bring back businesses that already closed. For my family, this issue is not academic or political. It is deeply personal. My family owns Lagran. We're a third generation Mexican-American family business right here in Phoenix. We've served We've served working families, ranchers, and various trades people for decades. We've survived recessions, rising rents, pandemic, and changing markets. But the South Phoenix light expansion directly affected our business. Construction disrupted access. Customers couldn't make left turns. Our business didn't drop because people didn't want to support us. It dropped because they couldn't get to us. Now we're being told another one of our locations on Indian School in West Phoenix is next. This means the same family, the same employees, and the same community are being asked to absorb the same damage all over again. If a third generation locally owned business can be harmed this badly, then every small business along Indian School in Mville and throughout West Phoenix is is at risk. You already know what happens when those disappearing customers don't adapt. They leave. >> Thank you for your time. >> Councilwoman Pastor. >> Yes. I have a question. I believe um what I understand on on South Central is that um a lot of times as you stated uh people came to your I believe it was your dad um and asked if he needed assistance and and what he needed um but what I understand is that you sold Lrand on Central. >> Is that correct? >> So our business we closed it. We unfortunately had to relocate to North Phoenix. We're now on 32nd Street in Greenway. We did not sell the business. The business we had to permanently close it. You know, we couldn't maintain rent. We couldn't maintain, you know, the actual staff. >> We're still transporting staff from South Phoenix over to Greenway. >> Okay. So, and besides your other point that you addressed that you guys came to help, we weren't the the help we're offered was, you know, classes, you know, educate your employees, train them in English, you know, small grants that does nothing. You know, the street was closed how many years? There's no access. That was a problem. Not education. >> Thank you. >> Questions. >> One more question if you're willing. Thank you so much for thank you for your testimony. I'm curious as to you talk about what we offered on the South Central Extension and what I gathered from from your comments is it was not as comprehensive as it could have been. What would you what would you have liked to have seen um on the South Central Extension to help and aid the business owners in the transition? >> Well, I mean off the top of my head, you know, I'm not canvasing. I'm not a politician. And I'm not, you know, person who can give you these answers. All I can tell you right now, it wasn't enough. You know, there's multiple business there that closed, not just us. For example, Puerto Rico's Mexican food. When do you see a fast food Mexican restaurant closing? Never. They're one of the most fast growing restaurants here in the valley, and they closed on Central. It just doesn't make any sense. I thank you for that and I did not mean to put you on the spot by asking that question, but I do believe in learning from the lessons that we that occurred on the South Central Extension. I think as we move on, this is a continually improving situation and I was just curious if there was anything specific you as a business owner that was impacted by our South Central Extension would like to see or would have liked to have seen. So, that was the purpose of my question. Um, it was not meant to be totally definitive. Thank you again for taking the time to testify. >> Thank you, Mayor. One more question. Sorry. >> And and just if you come up with things later, you don't have to there's not >> We have a plan on the books where we're tripling light rail. So this is a longtime thing and hopefully every time we do everything, we get better. So you don't have to decide now and and you can follow up later. But I think the counciloman or the vice mayor is right. We we have a lot of light rail and construction in front of us and and we want to do everything we can to support our small businesses. So >> I appreciate that. I this I know it's a stressful environment and you can send an email or do a phone call or do something easier and certainly we have years of of investing in light rail so this this meeting is not the last one. >> Thank you Councilwoman Hernandez. >> Thank you mayor. Um just a quick question. Currently the plan if we do if we do not change any plans currently we're scheduled to go Capitol extension um then 10 West and then into Mville. Um, are you supportive of light rail as transit option overall? Um, and I sorry that's my first question >> for sure. Yeah, I'm not against transit. I know we have to, you know, continue to grow. Um, I am in favor of the cap extension here in in the capital. You know, if we eventually I know you're going to get to West Phoenix, you're going to try to Indian school. It's it's a developed corridor. Shutting down that street is going to affect millions of businesses. You know, it's not like Central. You know, Central, it did a lot of damage. Now we're going on Indian school that's already has a lot of traffic, has a lot of businesses. You know, people aren't going to be able to get to these businesses and we're all going to close down. That's what's going to happen. It's not realistic to build a long Indian school. Maybe I 10 would be a realistic option, but at the moment, you know, I would say we're I would be against the West Phoenix expansion. >> Okay. Thank you so much. >> Thank you. Option one. That's option one. >> Mr. Montes, floor is yours. And then we will go to Nassier Nir Raza. We do we have two uh another Mr. Montes. >> So we have hopefully I called both >> Hector and Andres. Andre Montesy Montes. Okay. Pastorch. Metro Arizona. So, Mexico. Gracias. Well, I am another testimony of the losses that have been witnessed here in South Phoenix since the light rail um construction began. Um it really hit us hard. It affected not only with our lives but with our dreams. and with our store. We had been there for 16 years and I I knew your father uh councilwoman pastor and for me it it felt like success to be in that store because all uh all the customers that would come in would ask for me and and say, "Hey, come out cuz I want to give you a hug. And that's what I lost with that store. And it weighs on me. It was one of the stores that I treasured most because of the people that were there. They're the most humble and that that exist in in Phoenix, Arizona. And then we started to experience a lot of losses in that store because of something that we really didn't need there. because the light rail, we didn't really need it. Um the the bus just goes up and down, up and down, and you can see that. And if if you're not um uh if you're not blind, it it's like it's not like you you couldn't see that. It was the the what we had the transportation that was there was was more than enough but the the damage that was done because of the construction and 90% of the businesses are now closed down because of it. So whose fault was that? Because of who? Because it it destroyed businesses. It destroyed homes, hearts, and dreams like us. When we arrived, we got here with a dream. When we got here to Phoenix, Arizona, my my wife is now in heaven. Um, and she passed away and she was a hard worker. And it weighs on me because it was a it was a legacy that we gave on to our children. Look at the look at the way that they were raised. They're all clean. They don't have any tattoos on them without any problems. I have tried to do what is the best that I could with my businesses, avoid getting into any problems. I am a clean man. My record is clean. And I've been here for 35 years in Arizona. I started off with in the swap meet and and that's how I started my business in a swap meet and that's what weighs on me that I had grow my business had had grown so into such a a beautiful way because of the efforts of my wife, my children, my grandchildren and now it's all gone. Thank you. >> Uh thank you for the important testimony. Nasier is next and then followed by Raphael Ales for virtual. Good afternoon um mayor, deputy mayor and all the council persons here especially you Anna cuz I this is a affair of the heart my love with for your area Anna I walked during summer two months daily canvasing for her amongst the poor neighborhoods I myself, my name is Naser. I'm a practicing civil engineer almost retiring. I have about 40 years of experience including rails and um I want to give back to the community and that's why I canvased for Anna and uh surprise we won without a runoff. Anyways, the point is that this is a depressed community. Where I live is Scarsdale and it's very nice. It has light rail. Um, you know, down to the south. We have all the advantages. We need to do the same for the West Valley, for Mville. Yes, there are drug addicts. There are homeless people. But why do we live this life if not to bring them up and to help them? What's the purpose of a life? So I I support um the light rail option one. Why? Because I don't think I I I'm very very confused. I'm sorry to say with this presentation extremely confused. Here you have option one which has been approved three four times by the public has been studied. You've got plans primary plans construction plans. I'm sorry. I I my final thing is I am for option one because I don't think anything else is going to work and the whole project will be cancelled. Uh if you >> Thank you. Raphael is next and then Vivana Alvarez. >> Good evening uh Mayor Ggo and members of the city council. Hope you guys can hear me well. We can. >> My name is Rafael Ailez and I am a business owner and resident in West Phoenix near the Desert Sky Mall area. I'm actually right next to the transit center. So, this is a big impact for me. I'm here today to respect ask for your support for option two and select the locally preferred alternative extending light rail along Indian School Road to the Desert Sky Transit Center. I support this option because accessible transportation truly matters to our community, especially for our youth. I personally know young individuals like the young nice ladies that came in earlier and workers who would rely on this light rail connection to get to school, jobs, parks, and community centers. For many families in Marville, reliable public transit isn't a convenience, it's a necessity. This expansion would give our youth more opportunity, independence, and a safer way to move throughout the city. I also support this heavily option on option two because Indian school road is already a very busy road and it can get very dangerous. So this would help limit that that speed and create that safety that I know and I know my fellow uh community needs. Um, also I am a business owner myself and I I don't I'm talking I'm a business owner myself and I'm at my restaurant right now working as I speak, but I made time for this and I know the sacrifice and how much it would affect, but at the same time, we need to make a sacrifice for our people that need transportation. Yes. Yes, us business owners are in a good spot where we have our business, but there's people that don't even have a like any transportation. Like, I get it. I get it. It sucks cuz it would slow business, but we got to look at the others. We can't think about us businesses, but we have to look for the community and society. Um, also I think it would slow down I 10, but that's another thing. But thank you guys and you guys have a great evening. Thank you. So, not just the business, let's think about the community and the society. >> Thank you. Viviana is next, followed by Norma Lopez. But this um checking the But >> all right, Viviana, hang out. We'll figure this out. Norma Lopez will What? We can unmute Norma. altern Phoenix local Indian school connectors. Indian school road. Phoenix. >> Uh, thank you. uh uh uh we'll turn for translation and then after that we'll go to Carmen Sanchez. >> Hello. Good afternoon, esteemed um mayor and members of the council. My name is Norma Lopez. I'm a business owner in the area of Maraveville. I ask you to support the expansion of the light rail and support option two to re-evaluate other options of transportation public's transportation to provide service to the west valley. Um and I think it'd uh be better to um to select this portion support this portion uh from Indian school road all the way to the center part um to the center of desert sky or along to desert sky. And I support this because for more opportunities of transportation that's accessible to the young to young people to be able to connect uh more neighborhoods, parks, and other businesses um and also other community centers as well. And I believe that the traffic congestion is going to improve by using public um transportation along Indian school road. Also, we will have more um sales for the small businesses along the corridor of Indian School Road. We will also have more visibility and easier access to our businesses. It would be uh a push, a support to our businesses to propel them um to propel those businesses of families, immigrants uh and immigrants on the West Valley because it has one of the most um concentration of smaller businesses, properties of Latin people, immigrants and families. families in all the state. Thank you. >> Thank you. I think we'll come to Carmen uh Sanchez in a moment, but uh we'll do two in person. We'll do Kathy Willm. I'm so sorry. Kathy Kathy W and Jack Balter. Kathy Williams. My name is Kathy Williams. I am here representing myself, my veterinarian, Dr. Suzanne Johnson, her employees, and her many clients of 25 plus years in this community on Indian School Road. You have not presented this plan in a transparent way to the city of Phoenix or to this community on Indian School Road for we the people to have any say in your hidden agenda as to how you spend over a billion dollars that's billion with a B of taxpayer funds on this boondoggle of a project. If you have to do it at least choose option one. You are using 1950s fixed street car technology that does not adapt to changing needs of the public as to how, when, and where people need to go places at all hours of the day and night. You are being fiscally irresponsible, spending taxpayers money on transportation that few people actually use, that consistently loses money, and that bankrupts businesses, destroys lives, and creates an unsafe and unsightly blighted area on Indian School Road. If you do this, you will be wasting current money to enlarge the Indian School Road overpass and merge 35th Avenue in the very near future, only to then tear it up to build a street car line, narrowing it to only one lane each way in just a few years. I personally avoid streets with this street car traffic nightmare to access businesses that I used to frequent as so many others will if you impose this abomination on this community of Indian School Road. We respectfully request that you stop and pause this plan in order to conduct a thor thorough study and review before you make any regrettable decisions. Please act responsibly for this community and taxpayers using common sense, not just federal dollars. Thank you on behalf of myself, Kathy Williams, and Dr. Suzanne Johnson. >> Uh Jack Balter is next, followed by Aaron Cobb. >> He left, I think. >> Yeah, Jack Walter left. >> Jack Walter left. Okay. Um then we'll do Aaron Cobb and then we'll go virtual to Carmen Sanchez. >> Thank you council members. I'm speaking today in support of option one. A vote for option two to re re-evaluate is dangerous and is a vote against the voters. A vote for option two is a vote to delay or worse kill all progress we have made on public transportation in Phoenix. I agree with all these Indian school people. though in this case, choose option one because we will get West Phoenix light rail and the Indian school people don't have to deal with construction on Indian school. Win-win. Many people, including myself, call the Phoenix area home because of light rail. Um, you know, I would have chosen a more transit friendly city and move out of Phoenix. I'm not alone in this, but I've lived here for well over 25 years. I don't want to leave. I have friends here and I love it here, and Arizona is my home. We have voted more times than I can count in support of rail. Even though I have a car, I still choose to take rail and buses every day. I feel that the day we got rail was a day we've grown up as a city. Why? Because we deserve more human- centered streets, more walkable streets, more city parks, shade trees. The voters have spoken countless times in support of rail. Are we going to throw all that away? To exit the FTA process after getting this far is just irresponsible. Irresponsible to me, your constituents, irresponsible to the progress we have made. Let's be real here. Everyone knows that a vote for option two is a vote to kill the project. There's no beating around the bush. It'll end up just like that I 10 bus tunnel. Oh, it'll be considered in the future, also known as never. Fast forward to 2026, that bus tunnel is still sitting empty and unused. I was als um I was also seeing some things about needing state approval to build rail down I 10, but the thing is the I 10 was designed for center running transit from the day it was engineered. Give us what we voted for. You know, I still think about that bus tunnel and it fills me with anger. It makes me angry we decided to abandon a project that would have tremendously boosted public transportation in Phoenix, but all of a sudden, you know, we're going to do that again if we do option two. Vote for option one. >> So, just to cover Jack is gone and Aaron just spoke. Is that right? Okay. All right, then. Uh, Ellen Frisbee, followed by David Schwarz. Thank you, Mayor and Council members. My name is Ellen Frisbee. Um, this is the second time I've spoke on this uh light rail. My My name is again Ellen Frisbee. My husband and I own Larry Harker's Auto Repair and our business has been there since 1967, 50 almost 59 years. Putting the light rail down Indian School would make a big impact on our business and many more businesses in our area. It could not um put us out of it could all it could put us out of business. It would take away a lot of our parking because I know they need to expand to put the light rail. Um, most people I talked to, as Bob and I agree with the light rail in Arizona, but not down Indian school road. There's no way this would help our business. It would destroy it. And and that is why we don't want it. Um, some of the reasons are traffic congestion. you're cutting down, you know, we have two lanes. You can turn left. You won't be able to do it with the light rail. It would take a you'd have to go a long ways down the street to make a Uturn to get to our business. So, you only have one way in and one way out. Uh long-term construction noise dust block sidewalks would be a problem. uh construction will make it harder to get to us and probably uh loss of customers. Uh cost versus benefit, you know, is a cost for going to help our cost or our benefit to have a light rail when people will be not able to turn into our our shop easy. uh better alternatives such as buses, electric buses. Although we look at the buses in our area, very few people are on it. Where is needed, I would suggest I 10. Thank you. >> David is next followed by Jared Kug. Good evening, Mayor Ggo and members of the council. My name is David Schwarz, 15810 North 9th Avenue in Councilwoman Stark's district, her favorite constituent. I am here in support of option one. As many of you know, I recently went into a semi-retirement mode, but for more than 35 years, I worked as a volunteer and a paid professional to educate and advocate for transit, dating back to the 1989 Valrans election as a young volunteer. Now, I'm just a semi-retired voter who still keeps in touch with a few friends and acquaintances I met along the way. When I first heard from some of my friends in the transit industry and advocates that there was a move a foot to kill Capex and I 10 extension, I couldn't believe that Phoenix leadership would do that. For 25 years, Phoenix voters have overwhelmingly supported light rail and transit in general and supported this project. In 2019, I even worked alongside some of you um for to kill Prop 105, which would have killed light rail extensions. We highlighted to voters that for more than two decades, voters have consistently supported light rail, including capex and I10 West. Now, supposedly the votes are in possibly to kill it or go down Indian school, and that has really bothered me tremendously for the last several weeks. If you vote to kill Capex for political expediency, you will lose credibility, trust, and support from the same Phoenix voters who have supported you and transit for two decades. This is bigger than capex. It is that voter trust that you use to approve bonds for parks and preserves initiatives and all things. And I encourage you to stick with the voter will. Thank you. Mayor, can I ask a question? >> Councilman Hernandez. >> Thank you, Mayor. Thank you for coming down um semi-retire at a semi-retirement. I just one question for you. Do you believe that the council should respect the will of the voters to move the capital extension forward? >> Yes. >> Thank you. >> Jared Clug is next, followed by Maribel Molina. >> Good evening, council. Um, I'm uh I grew up here in the valley and uh my parents bought their home in Bella Pas and because he was disabled with a his pelvis was his kneecap, he needed a wheelchair to get everywhere. So, um I had to get everywhere on a bicycle. That was not easy. It was extremely difficult to do that and there was absolutely no transit at all at the time. So, um, in respect to the ladies that's first that spoke at first, actually, I do think that the vote, uh, I misspoke. Uh, I'm in support of option one, especially because it would increase wrership to Mville, which rightly deserves much more transit accessibility. And I do think that the I 10 is a good spot, but I struggle with autism and sensory issues. I would seriously please please please soundproof soundproof it. Please soundproof it. I don't want to be waiting outside dealing with all of that uh noise pollution, air pollution, and uh just access accessibility to those stations would also be very very needed. um making it really accessible. Yes, it's a freeway, but we still need to put some significant thought into how people will actually be able to walk to the stations and access them. Um I'm a little nervous about how uh it being in the middle of the highway might accidentally choke wrership, but if the stations are nice enough and efficient enough and it's really convenient to get to those stations, I think that could help remediate it. Or even throw it down Thomas. There's a lot of homes, there's a lot of schools, there's a lot of bit of parks, but I do support option one. And I do think that we need to be very serious in connecting the capital to the rest of the city with the transit. And we're the fifth biggest city in the country. We need to have the capital connected to it in my honest opinion. >> Thank you. Martyel is next and then we'll do Carmen Sanchez and Alejandroas. Good evening um mayor and council um and thank you for allowing me to speak. My name is Maraval Molina and I represent Alpha and Omega Auto Sales. A family-owned business that has served this community for 26 years at the same location on 38th Avenue in Indian School. We didn't move in yesterday. We grew here, invested here, and built our livelihood here. We are here tonight because the proposed light rail expansions directly threatens our ability to survive. Our business depends on access, visibility, and vehicle traffic. The construction phase alone would limit customer access for years, reduce parking, disrupt deliveries, and detour customers from even attempting to visit our location. Once completed, the loss of lanes and access will permanently impact how customers reach us. For a small bit for a small family-owned dealership, that impact is not an inconvenience. It's potentially devastating. We are not against progress. We are not against public transportation. But progress should not come at the expense of small businesses that have already proven their value to this community. Large corporations may be able to absorb losses or relocate. Family businesses like ours cannot. Many who support this project will not bear the consequences we will. Some may benefit financially or politically from its approval. Meanwhile, we are asked to risk 26 years of hard work, jobs for our employees, and a legacy we intend to pass down. We are asking you to slow down, reconsider, and truly weigh who pays a price for this decision. Development should include protections for existing businesses, not sacrifice them. Please stand with the small businesses that help build this neighborhood. Don't let progress erase us. If I have to choose, I'd go with option one. Thank you. Alejandro Mercle Mercle for as transport. for traffic. The Phoenix Gracias. is >> gracias. Uh we'll pause for translation. >> One second, please. Trying to capture. >> Sorry, just a technical issue with the screen here. One moment, please. Thank you for your patience. Thank you for your patience everyone. Esteemed um mayor and Ggo and members of the council. My name is Alejandra Mas and I am a business owner in the area of Maraveville. I ask you to please support the proposition or the proposal uh number two of the light rail to be able to provide a better service in the west area of Phoenix. And also I support this proposal because I think that this would help the economy of the business of my business and the businesses around. And it would also help or help bring um help transport people from the other side of town like Mesa, Tempee um bring them to this side of town without having to drive over here themselves and go through all the traffic and it would be easier for them without and this this way they can avoid all the stress of driving uh through traffic. And I also think that it would help all the people that live in the west um side of the of the that um work in the central part of Phoenix. It would help them to be able to get to work um much easier without having to go through the traffic every morning driving. um and they could take their time to do other activities versus being stuck in traffic just to try to get uh to work with their own car. So the the light rail is um a faster uh trans form of transportation and most uh efficient. Thank you. >> Thank you. We'll go to in person Jamie Truen followed by Nicole Sanderson. All right. Hi. Hello, mayor and council members. My name is Jamie Trufin. I am a property owner who lives and owns near the proposed light rail station um light rail extension. And I support option one, specifically the south um extension. I choose to live in the downtown area because of the light rail and the progress it's been making. Thousands of urban residents and uh residents of downtown live down here because of the light rail. Phoenix voters have supported the light rail over and over again. And this project has just been delayed way too long. And it just seems like there's a prisoner dilemma going on right now where we're picking one or the other. When we have one option that's perfect, we uh hit out the uh issues that were going on with it. We worked with the Woodland neighborhood. We know what to do with this route. If we go with option two, we're not just killing the Cap X extension, which in fact goes to Mville at Desert Sky Mall, a lot faster on the I 10. Um, but you kill all transit um for the light rail. I just don't think after this, we're going to get more light rail. And that's far in the future. Even if we go with option 2, 20, 40, I'm going to be retired by then. And I've been trying to fight for this light rail for capex forever since I was I was like 3 years old when all this plan was happening. and now I'm 28, so I'm getting old here. Um, so if we want to remain competitive as a city, we have to act like a big city and really push our transit system to the next line. We're going to lose our talent to other cities. We're going to have a brain drain. We're going to lose educated people that are bringing tax revenue into this area. If we're not building an urban city, we're just going to lose them to Seattle, uh, Boston, Washington DC. We're not going to keep our tax base. So, I do highly recommend that you do option one and do not be scared of the state. The land was donated, the 10 acres that are on the state capital was donated for public use and it was donated by Moses uh Sherman who helped build the original light rail system or light street car system to the capital. Mayor, may I ask a question? >> Councilman Hernandez, >> thank you. Uh thank you Jamie for for coming down to um speak on this such important topic. Um just have a a couple questions for you. What my first question, what hopes do you have for the light rail um in your neighborhood? >> Um so I live in the downtown core neighborhood and I really hope to connect to my my friends here at Woodland. Uh the light rail indirectly actually caused us to be really good friends with our neighborhood right here. Um neighborhood neighbors. Um, and it's it's been an honor and I hope to be able to take the light rail to their house one day and uh hang out with them. Um, we've we fought light rail before. Um, we can fight it again. We have the 2019 dark money and I hope we can uh get back on track. >> Thank you. And u my next question is um what is a future challenge you want us to weigh as we make our decision tonight? >> Um, I mean definitely working with neighborhood organizations. I think a lot more people want light rail than people really can comprehend. it's just hard to make some of these meetings that are during the busy time. A lot of people that use transit are hospitality and restaurant workers. Um so, you know, having more available time to have which I think with the recent meetings that the uh uh the Valley Metro has been having has been hitting those uh demographics a little bit better. >> Okay. Thank you. And my last question, do you think that the city council should honor the will of the voters to move the ex capital extension forward? >> Absolutely. We should have had it yesterday. >> Thank you. Nicole is next, followed by Caitlyn Wright. >> Hi, good evening. Um, firstly, some commenters clearly think that option two means light rail will be built on Indian school. Um, that's not what the survey said. That's not what the agenda said. I don't know where that information came from, but I would hope that it could be cleared up on the record. Uh, I think public trust is already on shaky ground here. Secondly, each of you on council, I believe, should be actively refuting the misinformation from the state legislators. Their letter said light rail is too costly and inefficient. They failed to mention that the status quo and the default alternative of car travel is more costly and less efficient. A light rail trip is 18 times more energy efficient and 46 times more space efficient than a car trip. Light rail increases nearby land values and induces space efficient land use, increasing tax revenue per acre. It gives us a five-fold return on investment. As we heard, our default option of highways and wide roads decrease land values induce new car trips whose costs offset the long-term marginal returns on those investments. more more importantly um or importantly light rail nearly eliminates land waste for car storage, lost walkability, constant pavement maintenance, crash response injuries, and especially fatalities. The permanence of light rail is an important part of its value proposition. Unlike buses, this permanence encourages confidence in investing, especially in a city that still has no BRT prototype. Your focus should be to further increase those efficiency gains by encouraging compact development and housing development along the light rail that we have and are have planned. Please honor the voters, keep the federal funding for West Phoenix, and choose efficiency. Choose option one. Um, and also please do Indian school. You can give small businesses and property owners entitlements in exchange for the hardship. Lastly, the survey results uh published through Friday were 5149 with about 5,000 submissions. Today they said 8,000 submissions and it flipped. That's very suspicious. >> Yes, Councilwoman, >> I I I do appreciate your comments on BRT. I wish we did have a BRT option available so people could see how it worked. Um, I will tell you that we did have a process and we did talk about BRT and we did allocate some funds along 35th Avenue when we first put out flyers regarding it. It should have been built by now and unfortunately it hasn't. I get it. Delay sometimes it's it's the cost of materials. But I do hope that when we talk about transportation options, we don't forget BRT because again the entire city is not going to be built with light rail and BRT is a great great alternative to some of the other areas. We also in 104 voted for more bus routes. So I remember the Williams fondly talking about how we probably need more bus routes far north. So, I appreciate all these comments, but please remember it's not just about light rail 104 also included BRT, which is very near and dear to me. So, thank you so much for your comments on BRT. All right, Caitlyn Wright, followed by Tommy Mccon. Good evening, Mayor Ggo and Phoenix City Council members. My name is Caitlyn Wright. I serve as the vice president for the Woodland Historic Neighborhood and I bought my 1901 home with the promise of nearby light rail as a major reason to keep me in Phoenix as a resident for the rest of my life. This vote today is not just about transportation. It's a test of whether voterapproved projects in Phoenix actually mean something. Light rail and capex has been approved in 2000, 2004, and 2015. funded over decades and promised to the public. We believe that voting for option two and re-evaluating doesn't just pause or move light rail, it effectively kills it. And let's be honest, who is going to pay the price? Working class and West Valley neighborhoods once again asked to wait. Once again told that their priorities can be reconsidered after the fact. After attending and speaking at the CTC meeting on December 4th, as well as the TIP subcommittee meeting on December 17th, what is most discouraging and what is genuinely painful to me as a voter is the growing sense that public voices do not matter today. That decisions are being shaped behind closed doors far from the people who voted and plan their futures around commitments that this city has made. That erosion of trust should alarm every person in this room. Let me be clear. Democracy does not end on election day. It survives only when voters hold leaders accountable. If this council chooses not to honor voter intent, the Woodland community will continue to show up. We have already proven through our work with Valley Metro to save historic homes that united resident voices can and will shape a better future. Please choose option one and honor the will of the voters or explain to us why our voices no longer matter. Please >> Vice Mayor, >> thank you so much for providing testimony. I just have a clarifying question. Yes. Um I am >> I guess not newish anymore to the council, but I want to understand a little bit more in your context when you said um your neighborhood was provice. Can you tell me what that means to you? I think that the public as a whole has been promised light rail after voting on it three times. >> Okay. Because I thank you for the clarification. It's getting a little late, but I want to make sure I got it correctly. You did say you purchased your home with the promise that capex was coming and I just wanted to clarify that. So, thank you so much for that. >> Yes, mayor. >> Councilman Hernandez, >> thank you. Um, thank you so much for coming. As someone that I mean, you live in one in directly impacted route. Um, and I know previously, right, the Woodland neighborhood had concerns about previous paths, and you're correct. You all banded together, advocated for changes, and you were able to do that. Um, so with that, I feel like what is your hopes now for what Light Row could do in your neighborhood? >> There are many things. I think among the most important are local growth. Being able to see I mean uh the city and members have already disbanded the zone and to continue to see the growth downtown and near our neighborhood would be great. Safe walkable streets we have had incidents in our neighborhoods even since I've moved in. So seeing the quality of life, the local shops, businesses thrive and having more people that can enjoy that space. >> And what is one of the risks that you um want us to consider as we make this vote today? >> Yes, definitely. I think that um federal funding, you know, the risk of federal funding being in the grant uh cycle. I think that thinking about responsible use of money and how much of this has already been spent or allocated or thought about, I don't want to waste time anymore because I feel like that's a waste of money. >> Thank you. And my last question, do you think that the council should honor the will of the voters to move forward with capital extension >> unequivocally? >> Thank you. Tommy is next, followed by Ventura. >> All right. Good evening, mayor, uh, vice mayor, and council. First of all, I just want to say thank you to the city employees and Valley Metro employees for all the work that they've done. Uh, you've done your part. Now, it's time for city council to do yours. Uh, my name is Tommy Mcome and I'm a homeowner and you guessed it, Woodland Neighborhood. Small but mighty. Um, and we're one of the few neighborhoods in the immediate area of the CAPEX extension. And as a community, we wholeheartedly support option one. I had a speech written, but I felt like I had to go off script a little bit after witnessing multiple testimonies that really were just confusing everybody uh throughout the whole evening. And what I wanted to clarify is that the way we talk about option one and option two, I feel like it's disingenuous to say that they're on equal footing. We're saying we have pro-life rail people voting for option one, voting for option two. They are in very different uh parts of their development. Option one has been worked on for decades. It is very well established. We have funding. Option two is at best uh a promise and no offense to city council, but capex was also a promise and we're in the process of potentially breaking that promise. So, I don't exactly trust that Indian school is something that will actually happen. And I think that we're putting ourselves in a big risk by putting it in equal footing and potentially going that direction of re-evaluating transit to the West Valley. Thank you, Mayor. >> Councilman Hernandez. >> Thank you. Um, just a quick question. Can you elaborate more on the risk that you just mentioned? Like what is one of the risks? What are what are some of those risks that you are worried about? >> As some other people have have mentioned, we're in a critical part for funding for option one. We've secured federal funding and everything is held to a timeline. From what I understand from Valley Metro, they could, you know, um, chime in if if they want. But option two is very early stages. we risk losing all of that funding. And we heard from testimony earlier from Valley Metro that if we don't have federal funding, we're in a very tough spot for uh for light rail in general. So, I think Indian school, it's safe to say, is in a big risky uh state if we choose to go forward with that. >> Thank you. >> Thanks. >> Uh Councilwoman or Vice Mayor, you >> No worries. Thank you, mayor. I I think this question might be help. I'm going to ask the streets or someone from Valley Metro to explain because I I think there was a little bit of misinformation regarding what federal funding if any has been allocated to the capex extension because I'm looking at slide number four and it says federal funding is not guaranteed and has not been awarded. So I want to make sure that everyone is operating from the same information playing field. Thank you, mayor, vice mayor, members of the council. The answer to that question of federal funding for the capital extension light rail project has not yet been awarded. The capital extension light rail project is in the federal transit administration's project development process. This is a requisite step that a project must complete and clear before applying for capital investment grant funding. Has that answered your question, Vice Mayor? Thank you so much. Yes, it does. And I'll just read it. I'll give you my interpretation. You can tell me if I'm correct or I'm incorrect. It's been an early morning for me and I just want to make sure I'm following along with us as u as we go through. My take on what you said is that we have not yet been awarded federal funding for the capex extension. However, we have we are in the process of a precursor to the application for federal funding. >> Mayor, vice mayor, members of the council, that is correct. We are in what we call the federal funding pipeline. >> Thank you so much for that. that clarification. >> Councilwoman Pastor, >> I want to piggyback on that. Um, so my understanding is that in order we're in the pipeline for funding and the pipeline for funding, there's a whole process to get into play and we compete with other states. Um this process that we are in right now um I believe it's called uh project development is the final piece and to get in to apply for this grant that we're already in the pipeline for please I don't know if I'm wrong or right mayor members of the council council member pastor that is correct the project development process is at the tail end of the work that is sponsored locally that includes planning, community engagement, uh preliminary design, and we have to com and then the all-important uh national environmental policy act NEPA process. we've cleared NEPA uh but you have to complete project development including a review of all of those steps and then there's a risk review assessment after project development and at that point um a project can compete and apply for capital investment grant funding. At that point activities including engineering work become eligible for federal funding. Have I answered your question council member Pastor? Yes. And my understanding is that uh the federal share for uh capex would be 39%. We uh thank you mayor, members of the council, council member pastor, we would not know what the federal participation rate is until an award is made. Projects are eligible to apply for up to 49% federal participation under current guidance. Our most recent two projects that were federally funded, that includes South Central Extension and Northwest Extension phase 2, received 39% federal participation. I believe in our projections here, we've been conservative and have assumed 37% federal participation. Okay. And I'm just asking because I am reading uh the T2050 financial model, highcapacity transit projects. That's where I got the number. But thank you. Thank you so much. >> All right. So, we have Ventura next and then Michelle. >> Good afternoon, May. Good evening now, I guess. Uh, good evening, Mayor C and council members. My name is Ventur Herrera and I'm the uh president of the Woodland neighborhood near Capitol Mall and at the heart of the capex project. Uh there's been a lot of discussion about Indian school I 10 and future western routes. Those conversations do matter but for capex for this project before capex first needs to happen. Many residents and business owners who oppose the Indian school alignment strongly support the I10 extension. That project depends on high-capacity transit to work. State law requires it and light rail is the best option to meet that requirement. Worldclass cities are not built or transformed around bus routes alone. Re-evaluating light rail now does not pause progress. It risks hundreds of millions of dollars in federal funding along with construction jobs, housing developments, and economic growth. Delay is not neutral. It harms workingclass and communities first. Phoenix voters approve this project. Taxpayers have been paying into it for over 20 years. Walking away now is not caution. It is abandonment. Our voices have been silenced time and time again. For those of you here today with higher political aspirations, Betty Laura Woodland, and Oakland, St. Matthews will remember how you voted here today. Again, your constituents have already voted and approved this project, paid into it with our tax dollars, and deserve the same as South Phoenix and Metro, the metro center area. I respectfully urge you to vote for option one and keep capex moving forward. Thank you. Michelle is next, followed by HM Aada. Good evening, mayor and council members and councilwoman Anna Hernandez, who has been really great in working with our neighborhoods, and we appreciate that. My name is Michelle McCormack, and I am a resident of the Woodland Historic Neighborhood. I wish I could say I came here today by light rail, but we do not yet have light rail serving the Capitol Mall. I am here instead in strong support of option one to continue the current progress on light rail, specifically the 16th Avenue South alignment. Capex and I 10 West are the farthest along in planning and could be completed the fastest with federal funding already in the pipeline. As of last night, nearly 80% of residents in the neighborhoods directly affected by CAPEX support continuing CAPEX and I 10 West. Once that commitment is honored, the city can thoughtfully evaluate additional future projects, including Camelback or other routes. I also want to express my disappointment with how option two changed late yesterday. What was presented as a general re-evaluation suddenly became a specific Indian school alignment without Metro Valley Metro having the opportunity to properly vet that option or engage the community for meaningful feedback. That shift undermines transparency and public trusts and it places residents, small businesses, and decision makers in an unfair position. West of downtown Phoenix has been underserved for decades. The capital extension and I 10 West are not just transportation projects. They are investments in jobs, housing, access to health care, and long-term economic stability for families. You have we have approved light rail many times since 2000, and we want it to continue. Re-evaluating light rail at this stage effectively kills the current project. Please, please honor the voters and vote yes on option one. Hazam is next followed by Celiva. This is Salib Abu Sada. I guess Hazim is not here. He left already. My name is Sale Abu Sada. I'm a member of the Indian School Coalition. I have been operating my business at 6702 West Indian School since 2006. I made this store from 800 square ft to 4,500 square ft over over a course of 20 years. We just learned about the light rail coming to Indian school 3 months ago. And since that I went to personally went to each business an Indian school from 75th Avenue to central door to door telling them did you guys know anything about this and the answer was no. Not a single person said yes. We and and when we came here in the meeting of December 17, we were told by you guys and by very metro people that this meeting is all about the capex has nothing to do with Indian school. And now we learn that this is wrong. And just yesterday there was an amendment of in the agenda from the one of the city council member to expedite construction along Indian school. Nobody came and talked to us about this. Nobody came and want to hear our voice regarding this. Nobody asked how we is going to affect my business, my livelihood, my family and my kids. I have 35 workers by the way. Nobody asked how they can afford their mortgage after they lose their job. We are why you guys are trying to shove something down our throat. I met with Thank you, >> mayor. Go ahead. >> Thank you. Um I guess this question is more for staff. Um, can you guys talk to the amendment? Like what council member added an amendment to um this language yesterday? Um, mayor, vice mayor, members of the um council, there was no amendment that was made to the policy um recently. What what what I think the audience is speaking to is when this item was presented to the transportation infrastructure and planning subcommittee. Um when that recommendation was given for recommend um option two, it was also further detailed that um they wanted staff to look at other light rail routes to reach West Phoenix including the West Phoenix extension. So that's why we placed that information in the policy packet because that was something that was directed by the transportation infrastructure and planning subcommittee. >> And when was that meeting? >> That was December 17th. >> Great. Okay. Thank you. >> And then the Indian school started moving forward in 2024. >> All right, >> mayor. Um May of 2024 is when staff brought to council the recommendation from the West Phoenix high-capacity transit alternative analysis which identified Indian school as that locally preferred alternative and was approved by the council at that time. >> Wonderful. I guess and it would be fair to Yes. The when we went to the voters in 2015 putting light rail through the heart of Mville was already something that was important to the council. All right, Jean is next followed by Babar. Just one thing uh just one thing I'm I'm the support of the capital exception option one because downtown is the destination and the I 10 is already prepared to has a transit in the middle of it. Thank you. >> Jean is next. >> Is that Jean Derry? is >> okay. I messed up my knee last year, so I'll give you some Got a little pain here. My name is Jean Derry. Oh, sorry. Honorable mayor, city members of the city council, some of you already know who I am. I'm Jean Derry. I'm the chairman of the Mville Village Planning Committee. When Valley Metro came before us, they asked us about the capex extension. Which route would we like? And we said it the one we didn't like was the seventh 17 17 seventh street 7th Avenue and Bambiran because the whole idea behind the num I 10 extension or I 10 west was to get some cars off of the interstate and have an opportunity for the employees that work in the government corridor to actually not have to drive and find a place to park around the the state government buildings. I've been on the committee since 2008. I have never missed a meeting. So, 17 years I've heard Valley Metro, Phoenix Transit, and the council members that choose to come and talk to us about the importance of the I 10 West extension. We were promised it in 2016. It's now 2025. >> 26. >> 26. Thank you. I was hopeful hopeful we could get a little longer of 25. Um the committee has always supported cap the cap cap and I I west a 10 west route. We understand we've heard about BRT which we don't have a problem with and so that's all I needed to let you know. >> Thank you and thank you for your service to our city. >> Babar is next followed by Jessica Bueno. >> Thank you sir. >> Good evening Mayor and the member of city council. Um actually I moved from Sacramento to uh Phoenix in 2016 and uh at that time we scanned the whole area and we did the survey and we chose Indian school road for to open our business and after it's been like 20 years now we are there. So I don't think it's the right area um right idea to have a light rail on the Indian school road because I think it's a small business area and the high traffic is not a problem because when we open a business the first thing we pray is for the high traffic. So I think um there are more alternative ways that you can I mean use and or uh that's it we I choose for the option number one. Thank you. Uh, Jessica is next, followed by Alfonso Vasquez. Good evening, mayor and council members. Thank you so much for the opportunity to speak. My name is Jessica Bueno, and I have lived in the Oakland Historic District for the last 10 years. And of those 10 years, I've spent the last seven organizing around the light rail, even hosting um previous CEO Scott Smith to a dinner with Oakland to better understand what CAPX uh would mean to us. And so I just want to encourage you all to not walk away from all the work that we've done um these last eight years that we've been waiting. Uh we've been doing a lot of planning around our transit oriented communities. We you've selected an outreach team who has done a great job and so every light rule extension we just keep getting better and better. Please continue to trust your city departments, your planning departments, your transit departments hard work in uh making sure that you adopt uh the capex light rail extension. um please don't allow any of this narrative to get in the way of what you are responsible for and that is to make sure that uh you provide highcapacity rail for the city of Phoenix. We are the fifth largest city of the country and I hope that we continue to move that way. Uh and I would implore you to go out for a bond and let's actually fund transit. Let's start building all of the BRTs, all of the light rail extensions. Uh we are a big city. We are a big metro and um people outside of cars deserve safe streets. Thank you. >> Thank you. Alfonso is next followed by Simon Isaac. >> Alfonso or Simon had to go home. Alfonso had to go home. Okay. Oh. Uh Simon is next followed by Omar. Good afternoon. Originally it was. Now it's good evening. My name is Simon Isaac and I'm a local business owner in District 5. For more than two decades, my family business has operated here, providing jobs to many employees and contributing to the Marville community. I am here today alongside dozens of residents and businesses owners from the Indian school corridor because we feel we have not been treated honestly or respectfully regarding the city's plans for light rail expansion. At the December 17th meeting, we raised concern about a rush approach. We were assured CAPEX would not affect Indian School Road. That assurance turned out to be inaccurate. We are now facing option two, which is to accelerate light rail on this corridor. As a local business owner, we feel disappointed and disregarded. In the weeks that followed, it became clear that many members of this council support moving forward, but this information was not shared openly with us. There was no meaningful engagement. Federal funding should not outweigh the people. We understand that funding is a factor, but it cannot take priority over the community itself. The people of Marville, our employees, our neighbors must be the first consideration before any project moves forward. Before any decisions are finalized, we ask for transparency and genuine participation. I did not come here today to vote for nothing. I I I it was meant for just to come and let you guys hear our voice and our frustration and our concerns, but ultimately now I'm compelled to vote for option one because if we allow you guys to do it and option two, you guys are going to destroy our business and you're going to destroy livelihood, something that we built for the last 20 years. As you guys can have have heard today, people that have been here since 1967. Has any of you council members or anybody from Valley Metro taken any of that in consideration? I don't think so. There was a question that was asked earlier in regards to how we you guys could help us in order to compensate for these business owners. And if you guys allow me, I could maybe answer that question for you. >> Oh, thank you. >> Is that okay? >> Please do. Oh, if I wanted to sell my business today, I would contact the real estate agent and I would show him my financials and he would tell me what my business is worth. If that's something you guys would like to do, please, we can all have open discussions in regards to that. And honestly, I mean, all these business are going to eventually close. There's no if and when it's going to happen. And if they are, it is going to happen. at least be able to compensate them for the losses. If my business is worth a million dollars, 2 million, 500,000, those businesses should be able to have that in return so they can take that money and then go open somewhere else in in Phoenix and be able to provide for their families. I hope that was >> Vice Mayor. >> Thank you so much, Mayor. Thank you for articulating what I gathered to be a some as we if this moves forward one of the things the business community wants us to consider as a buyout option. Did I understand that correctly? >> Absolutely. >> Anything else? I know you were kind of rushing before your two minutes ended. Anything else? >> You know the biggest thing is is you know these are not just businesses. These are people's with lives and I would hope that everybody here could take that in consideration. That's it. Thank you for the explanation and the reason I asked the question is because I do recognize that this is your livelihood and I I understand as mentioned before we did see some negative impacts from the South Central extension and as I said our goal ideally for any extension is that we continue to become better and we continue to ensure that we reduce the harm that may occur may occur with any displacement along the light rail whether or not it's through residential or it affects a commercial area. I just wanted to ask that question because you're correct. We don't always get to see the impact. We don't always um understand the full impact. That's why I asked the question that I asked for you. So, thank you for that. >> And and transparency. I mean, if if things were, you know, transparent from 2000 2024, we could have had this conversation back then and this, you know, it would have been talked about. But unfortunately, we just found out 3 months ago. And I'm not just speaking of myself. I'm speaking in behalf of over 200 businesses that are part of our coalition group. Now >> I uh I can't say when you advise of something. So I don't want to I I don't want to perceive that I'm arguing with you. I'm just asking a question. So that's all I that's what was my intent to figure out what is from an information gathering perspective. Sure. How what are the things that we need to consider as we move forward. So thank you so much for that. >> No, thank you. I appreciate Thanks. Councilwoman, do we have it ready for the next speaker? >> Sure. Okay. Uh, great. Go ahead. And then I believe um Will Green will follow. >> Good evening. Uh, my name is Omar Sagir. I'm the manager at the tire shop on Indian School Roar. Um, I'm not supporting the light rail or Indian school roar. Um I have talked to too many uh businesses near me and also talked to a lot of customers uh on the Indian school road and they are not supporting as well. Um they actually they actually scared what's going to happen uh you know if the if the construction started example it's going to be a more crimes uh more homeless people uh parking problem single oneway lanes uh business will suffer um they might shut down so I I support option one thank you >> will green is next followed by pulsing >> thank you mayor and council. Um, my name is Will Green. I'm the Arizona rep for Southwest Energy Efficiency Project or SWEP. Sweep supports uh policy that saves people energy and money. We strongly support option one capex and the plans for expansion westward uh with I 10 West and then Indian School. I'd also like to thank Mayor Ggo and and the council for their long-standing steadfast support for light rail. The choice before you today is uh not about CAPEX versus Indian School. Your choice is capex or indefinitely delaying capex. Even if the Indians uh school line is expedited, uh we can't expect it to be open until the late 2030s as staff has affirmed today. If we're lucky, federal funds will still be around at that point. The timeline pushes out further if public opposition occurs, which we've seen some of that uh today. In strong contrast with option one, CAPEX would start construction next year um indefinitely delaying CAPEX for an undefined period of time in exchange for a very theoretical gain of a few years on the Indian school line is a terrible deal for Phoenix. Uh regarding legislators from Queen Creek, Poria, and Scottdale trying to overturn the will of Phoenix voters. It is not logical to kill a project out of fear someone else might kill it. Governor Hobbs has weighed in affirming that legislative Republicans power to kill this project has been grossly exaggerated. If you let legislative Republicans dictate public transit investments, then we won't have any. Um it's more likely um I guess in closing, it's more likely than not this will be the most important vote um that you that you all take um on the remainder of your uh time on this council um on light rail and whether it's fair or not. Your legacies on light rail will be defined by this choice. Uh please do not uh sacrifice a line capex that is on the cusp of construction in exchange for possibly expediting Indian school by a couple years in the late 2030s. Uh please support option one. Thank you. >> Paul Singh is followed by Patrick McDaniel. Honorable mayor and uh council members, my name is Harinder Pal Singh. I own a Arco gas station on 23rd Avenue and Indian School for last 25 years. I bring that business up. It took me 25 years to bring that business up and now I am kind of scared that it will die because gas station business is filled by the traffic. If we have no traffic, we not going to have any business. I am here today as a part of Mville Indian School 200 plus businesses alliance. Specifically, we are here to oppose the proposed light rail extension at Indian school due to prolonged construction and dangering small businesses. public construction uh public safety concerned near public stations and limited regional transportation benefits. At the transportation subcommittee meeting on December 17, we were told repeatedly that meeting was only to discuss capex. We were told that discussion for Indian school right late light rail expansion were premature. We know that now to be untrue. Perhaps the most troubling is that the community wasn't consulted and we have been dismissed, misled and ignored at every turn. Thank you. Patrick is next, followed by Richard. >> Good evening, Mayor Ggo, members of the council. Thank you for the opportunity to speak this evening. My name is Patrick McDaniel, and I'm here today speaking in my capacity as advocacy director for Phoenix Community Alliance. I'm here to express PCA support for the Capex project and I and ask that option one be selected. Phoenix Committee Alliance has long been a supporter of light rail and we offer appreciation to Mayor Ggo and current and former members of council whose decisions brought us to the brought us today and we see the benefits of light rail every day throughout downtown. As a downtown focused organization, PCA stands in support of the capex project. As the boundaries of downtown evolve, the Capitol Mall represents a generational opportunity for mixeduse transit development that will deliver housing, essential services, and employment opportunities to this underserved and underutilized area that is so adjacent to downtown. The capital extension is fundamental to the redevelopment of the capital area and the continued rebirth of downtown and the adjacent areas. Our our organization supports all public transportation and ask that the council vote to adopt option one. However, if the council decides today to advance an alternative route to connect downtown to the west to west Phoenix PC, the capital route capex not be forgotten. This project is vital to the continuing revitalization of downtown and is a cornerstone element to the capital mall area. We ask it to remain a priority with regular updates to the community should an option other than option one be chosen. With that, thank you very much for the opportunity to speak today. Thank you. >> Richard is next, followed by Jose Hernandez. May I ask a question to Patrick? >> Councilman Hernandez. >> Thank you. Uh, thank you, Patrick. Um, how can the city of Phoenix be helpful in bringing more business and economic development to the capital area? Um, as we're in the context of this capital extension project. >> Sure. That is definitely an Counciloman Hernandez, Mayor Ggo, members of council. That is definitely a a many question. We know that's an area that has city, county, and state involvement. I think is collaborating with all the stakeholders involved to ensure that that there is the the ability to produce affordable housing that there's the ability to support businesses in that area that complement the adjacent neighborhoods. So, I think it's a combination of all the all the sides that are in that area working together to bring about the most effective results for the neighbors. >> Thank you so much, Patrick. >> Thank you. Richard is next, followed by Jose Hernandez. Great. Uh, mayor, council members, and city staff, thank you for your service to our growing city. My name is Richard Hal. I'm a longtime resident of Phoenix. I grew up in the Maryville neighborhood via de and currently live in the central city neighborhood, Van Moore, 1923, which is between 19th A, 23rd A, Van Beerren Street in Filmore Street in Councilwoman Anna Hernandez, District 7. Um, I chose to buy my house in this neighborhood because of proximity to downtown affordability and future light rail extension. I have earned a master of sustainability solutions and a master of urban and environmental planning from Arizona State University. I currently work at the university and I'm a community organizer advocate in my neighborhood serving as president of the neighborhood organization. I transit to by traditional bicycle mainly and I'm an avid user of the light rail. I trans transited by both today to arrive here. Do not let the inconsiderate and incompetent representatives in our state government bully you into voting future light rail expansion down. To quote state senator Analise Ortiz of Mville, it is absolutely absolutely shameful that we are having a conversation right now about potentially killing the future of light rail. The voters of this great place have continued to support expansion and want to see the project completed. My community and I and I have been waiting for the west extension for years with the original plan to complete the capex to I7. uh with the original plan in 23 24. Uh the communities of West Phoenix deserve this amenity. Writership is the highest per capita in Mville alone. I urge you all to vote to continue light rail extension west with option one. I advocate for the 16th a north alignment first, the 7th alignment second. Either way, the alignment should be elevated as much as possible. Having the alignment on the road level limits the transit efficiency and speed due to needing to stop at traffic signals like cars. The light rail should have signal priority. It doesn't now. Alignment on grade has also produced many accidents with cars and pedestrians. Having an elevated system would avoid these kinds of accidents. We need a reliable, robust, and rapid transit system here in the fifth largest city by population in the country. If the system was rapid, reliable, and more robust, people would be uh more incentivized to use it. A vote to continue extension of the light rail is a vote for a more sustainable city and a better quality of life for all citizens and visitors. Vote yes on option one to continue light rail expansion. Thank you. >> Jose is next, followed by Matt Gun. >> Good evening, mayor, members of council. Uh I'm here to support the light rail extension option one and just want to take a moment to recognize the the consistent confusion between option one, option two, and by no means is this accusatory, but the confusion is really unsettling. It's unsettling because today's real responsibility is for city council to vote and carry forward the will of the voter in moving forward on the capex extension. Um it's also unsettling because it seems to be pitting communities against each other when all the comments and the feedback seem to be overwhelmingly in favor of the continued light rail work. Um I grew up here in Phoenix, born and raised. uh public transit. Well, it wasn't light rail wasn't available when I was going to school, but public transit was a lifeline for me. Uh as a son of immigrant parents, first generation American, they were working. And when we bought our first home in 1991, uh in order for me to stay at the same elementary school, I had to use public transit. And I was able to graduate with kids that I went that I started kindergarten with. And that meant a lot to me. It also allowed me to go to Cowback High School. I had safe, reliable transportation. I was allowed to I was able to play baseball because I had that public transit option uh for transportation. I was a member of of the DECA program. So when I wasn't playing baseball and I wasn't in school, I was working part-time. And that program actually worked with my teacher and my boss where I received regular feedback on critical skills that enabled me to have a successful sales career in the future. You know, when I moved back to Arizona, um I didn't I wasn't relying from a position of privilege. I wasn't relying on public transit, but I was able to benefit from the quality of life that it did give me by taking the light rail. I was able to have season tickets to ASU, uh, Sunundevils, u, uh, Sun's basketball, the Dbacks, and I lived downtown. I took the light rail to the games. I I frequented all the local businesses, and this is just an example of what one simple thing like public transit does for our community. It allows our people to succeed in the future, and it brings a a big improvement of quality of life. Thank you for your time, guys. >> That's right. >> Matt is next, followed by Kirsten. >> Thank you, council. Uh, I'm kind of an anomaly around here. I'm a Phoenix native, West Phoenix native. Grew up at 75th Avenue in Osborne. I live a mile from where I grew up. This is the really the first time I've heard of this coming down my neighborhood. I do not want it anywhere near me. I go down South Phoenix all the time down Central Avenue. It looks like a bomb went off. Businesses that have been there for decades are gone. 19th Avenue, same way. Hobby Bench, familyrun business for over 40, 50 years gone because of the light rail. It destroys every area it has gone through except for the high density downtown. The city council is doing that to my neighborhood as it is at Indian school and the 101. They are building five block long warehouses right next to a brand new neighborhood right next to a school and a church. There are four other block long warehouses on the other side of the street. What are all these warehouses going in for? They used to segregate businesses from residential. Now you got us living right on top of each other. If this goes down Indian school, it's going to destroy the neighborhoods. One thing that I've never heard, how come uh no one ever brought up running light rail down the Union Pacific line? It already exists. It's a half mile south of here. I'm sure if you presented the UP with a billion dollars, it'd give you um rail access. And one other thing, a great statesman, Will Rogers. There are three types of liars. Liars, damn liars, and statistitians. And that's what we're getting from them. >> Kirsten is next. Excuse me. Followed by Julio. >> Hello, Mayor and Council members. Thank you so much for taking the time to listen to all of this public comment today. I know it's taking a while, but it's a very important topic. My name is Kirsten and I am a very happy user of the Valley Metro Transit System. I was thinking about what I was going to say when I stood up here today and I was thinking about last summer when I attended the South Central light rail extension and ribbon cutting. And Mayor Ggo, you stood in front of us and proudly said, "The completion of this pro project marks an important new connection for residents and moves us closer to our goals as a sustainable and accessible city." You said that historic extension created safer streets while connecting more residents to jobs, education, entertainment, and other amenities across the valley. And I think these are all really important points and reasons why we should be proud of expanding public transit and the light rail. I really want to see the capital extension project move forward and I urge all of you to continue that pride and vote for option one today. This decision will put us in the best position to use the federal funding that we're in line for and continue the process for the advancements of the light rail west as soon as possible. It's also the next step for delivering on something that was promised to and voted on by the residents of Phoenix over 10 years ago through the 2050 plan. In closing, please vote for option one. I think it's the best option for all of the residents of the city. Thank you. >> Julio is next, followed by Isai Lopez. >> Okay. Good afternoon, Mayor Ggo and council members. Uh this is my first time speaking English with a lot of people in the front. I'm very smart in Spanish, I promise you. But I try my best in English. Uh like Dr. King say, I had a dream. So I had a dream, too. But you need to work for make the dreams happen. So I spend more uh I spent 25 years 28 years already in Mville. So I drive and I spend more time in the Indian school than most of the people here. I know Indian school very very well. So me and my wife uh have the food truck for 25 years on 43 Avenue in the school. Four years ago we bought the building. That building was empty for three years with bunch of homeless. They destroy the property. Why don't nobody want to take it? Because most of the people don't want to bet in Maripel. But we do because it's our neighborhood. We spend time here. We know all the business here. He's not like the restaurant guy. I know Lo, I know Rosio. We know each other for 25 years. And like Lo say uh 2009 2008 all the plazas was empty. And we fill those plazas with business, with dreams, with work, with effort. We don't ask you. They say what you can do for help us don't do nothing. Just let us keep working. Please, please. We stay in America because it's a neighborhood. We create jobs for another people. And kindly we ask to us to you don't you don't you doubt our business. Don't shoot down our dreams. And please support the people who choose to stay in Marbel because a lot of people leave and we stay here asking for one opportunity to keep there. Thank you. Mr. Lopez is next, followed by Sumander Sod. >> Madame Mayor and council members, thank you for allowing us to share our thoughts. Last month we were here and we were told Indian school was not an option yet and here we are discussing in Indian school officially. I would like to reiterate that communication is key and transparency is needed. We are not opposed to strengthening infrastructure and widening pu public transportation access. However, it is hard to support this when we see little use of public transportation along Indian school road. This will be detrimental to our business because it will cause loss of customer access, loss of business revenue, create parking issues, and affect both businesses and furthermore affect 60 employee families which rely on the business. Years of disruption would cause long-term effects leading to business closures, abandoned buildings, falling property values, higher levels of crime, and increased homelessness. The interested parties are investors who could come in and sweep up said closed properties. Once again, there is a huge lack of communication. I would like to reiterate the fact that this project has large projection of riders when currently those riders do not even use the current modes of transportation available. We've heard a lot of comments and support. However, the majority of supporters have not been and will not be directly impacted like the businesses gathered here today. Option one is the better choice as as of now. But we really need to consider how detrimental this is to businesses and I myself have used uh public transportation you know back in high school and currently. So it's not that it's unusable. So, uh, obviously light rail has its place, but it's if only if you go along the proposed route, then you'll you'll benefit from it. But if you have no interest in going to other places, then you rely on the current modes of transportation, which are bus routes. Thank you. >> Thank you. Sam is next follow by uh uh Monserat Castillo. >> Honorable mayor and the city councils. Thank you for the opportunity to speak. Um today I'm stand here behalf of uh Indian school owner associations. We represent 200 some plus businesses. I am immigrant from India. Moved here 1991. I worked 12 to 14, 16 hours a day, 7 days a week, 10 years straight to purchase my first business on Indian School, 67th Avenue and Indian School. Still working 6 to 7 hours, 6 to 7 days a week and employing over 150 people throughout the valley between multiple businesses. I just wanted to say this from somebody dropped the ball not letting us know there was conversation going on on Indian school. None of the business we are 200 plus businesses representative nobody knew there was a light raid coming to Indian school. So that's one I think uh I'm not sure from the valley metro or the city of Phoenix. We are backbone small business I feel like a backbone of this city strength in this state. We worked hard to employ local people. You see there is no corporation here nobody from the major corporation here to speak against on Indian school but you see many people 80 plus people from local familyowned businesses on Indian school. We employ multiple people who live in Marville. I bought my first resident in Mville. I still own it and we love Mwell. We wanted to we invest back in our community. We give back to the community. We go back and serve our Valley Metro people, you know, valley uh our neighbors. And I just wanted to say I am all for the light rails. We are I support option one but I want a full pause on Indian school and please consider BRT to serve better in these congestion area in the valley and serve through the option one. Thank you, >> Mayor >> Senora Castillo Proxima. >> Where is that? Councilwoman, start. >> You know, I I guess at this point you I know you guys did a West Phoenix high capacity transit analysis back in 20 23. Maybe you could briefly discuss that because I got a copy of it this morning and it appears to me that you did a lot of notification, but it's from the audience. It sounds like they weren't notified. Could you just briefly talk about how you did outreach to come up with this alternative study? Just to clarify it, >> mayor, members of the council, council member start, thank you for your question. There was a community engagement process that accompanied the alternatives analysis that ended in the recommendation of light rail on Indian school as a high-capacity transit corridor in the west valley. During that time um there were public meetings uh 12 public meetings um 26,000 flyers 9,000 door hangers. Uh this was I would characterize this as a very high level engagement intended to define a potential corridor for the future. Um so it sounds like a lot but do bear in mind this is about a 35 mile area uh bounded on the west on the east by central uh by um Camelback on the north 99th on the west and McDale on the south. So pretty big geographic area. We did receive 800 comment forms in response to that activity. Now, community engagement in planning and developing any major infrastructure project is absolutely essential and we've been engaging on our other projects for years. You'll note in I believe it's I want to say it's slide 27 of your current packet the current West Phoenix uh project does include a multi-year uh community engagement process which would be essential for uh defining that route. So I say that to tell you preliminary community engagement has been done much more would remain ahead. >> Okay. >> Have I answered your question council member >> Stark? And I know you were probably more involved in it because it was in your district. So, I'm sorry I may be speaking out of turn, but looking at it, it said you you pass out >> here. Let me pull this up. >> Uh 5,829 door hangers um to both households and businesses immediate adjacent to two route options which included Indian School between Central and 75th Avenue. So, I I'm having a kind of a disconnect here. It sounds to me like you did do outreach, but somehow a lot of the members in the audience didn't know about this particular study where you talked about this as a potential alternative. And I'm sure the council woman can probably speak to it more eloquent because I got a feeling you went to many of those meetings. I I guess my question to you is as well I mean it says here just from the report you guys gave back to us 10,97 door hangers direct mailers 26,800 English and Spanish digital advertising and Spanish social media Facebook Twitter Instagram next door paid Twitter 188,95 impressions 172 link clicks 1,859 engagements ments eight on Facebook 86,882 reach 9,46 post engagements Instagram 10,488 375151 website page views 900 comment forms received to data canvasing 1900 flyers dispersed to 26 activity centers table events 12 community events a frame sign desert sky transit center at 79th Avenue Park and Right Desert West Community Center. Direct USPS mail 24,875 residential addresses 1,953 business addresses within a fourth mile of recommended route publicized 75 time 75 times online TV print radio Spanish radio contact total laina lisa 474 32 spots 87 days of purchase advertising at the Arizona Republic. Is all of that true? >> Mayor, members of the council, Council Member Guadado, it is true. And I see what you're looking at and I realize I misunderstood Council Member Stark's question. Allow me to distinguish between the two phases of community engagement. When I answered council member Stark's question, I was referencing the 2022 to 2024 engagement which focused on a pretty broad study area and addressed a number of potential alignments equally. That was the work I was citing. Um, council member Godado, thank you for your question and you're citing from u really it's page one of the content in your packet which summarizes community engagement. that community engagement is focused on the capital light rail extension redesign public involvement briefing. So that public engagement has been explicitly focused on capital extension uh as defined in the three options being presented today and not on the Indian school corridor. So I want to make that distinction. Got it. Got it. But we did do all the meetings because I remember attending a lot of those meetings. I remember taking a lot of meetings with businesses. I know Marcus, you went out to Indian school, did a lot of these door hangers yourself. Is that correct? >> Mayor, members of the council, I did not do the door hangers myself, but I did attend a lot of those meetings that we held. Okay. >> Um, as part of our community engagement, we try to do those things in lock step, city of Phoenix, with Valley Metro. Um, a lot of times we will reach out to council offices even to make sure that we are hitting areas along those corridors that are more favorable to where they understand that a lot of their constituents may be. >> Um, I hope that answers your question. >> No, you're good. Thank you. Thank you, Jessica. >> Seora Castillo and then Ismael Hamdon. Gracias Castillo school. for moment. much. Gracias. Um hello. Um let me introduce myself again. I am Monserat Castillo and I want to address the mayor and uh members of the council. I am here to tell you that we have um businesses along Indian school. We have uh businesses in Mville and for almost 29 years. Uh we have been working there. It's a family business and it's our provision. That's where it comes from. Um we have we had just obtained a building and we've been there for three four years and honestly we were very surprised um but hearing what has been happening and also we're concerned about our 25 employees because it's not just an employee each one of them is a family and they're all worried about the sit current situation um constant ely they ask if the businesses are going to be closing down, if they're going to, you know, not have a job anymore. They don't know what they're going to do to provide for their families. And for us, it's really stressful and it's a very desperate situation just to be listening uh to this because part of our savings went to invest in the uh recent business that we just obtained. So I ask you that at the time to vote to think about those families, to think about our our businesses, the businesses that have been there for so many years. And honestly, it's this is um uh really um difficult to to hear this. And I'm also listening that there was a lot of publicity. We didn't hear about it. Um we didn't hear about the situation that was happening until somebody from another business um came over to tell us what was going on that the light rail was going to go along Indian school. We had not heard anything on uh social media or TV or in anything else. So thank you Thank you. Mr. Hamdan is next, followed by Mr. Rodriguez. Uh Roco and Mr. Hamdan, could you sort of signal if you're here? >> Okay, thank you, Ross. Rosio Rodriguez followed by Manny Singh. Builio Rodriguez. Sacrific. Fore a forunada orch. say school. Says Notific. Fore! Foreign! Foreign! Sorry, I couldn't. Okay, thank you. Uh my name is Rosio Rodriguez and I am here to talk about um everything that I've been going through um through this time for almost 30 years in this business that um not only myself but also Monserat that I've known her around the same behind how we have both shared different experiences uh of what we've been through. We've been we've sacrificed our lives. Um sometimes even leaving our children alone and even sometimes over abusing our bodies from working 15 to 18 hours on a daily basis. and and both of us have been able to um make you know have our own businesses. Right now I have five of businesses of my own and unfortunately or unfortunately you can say um three of my businesses I are along Indian school and the other two are really close um to that street. So, this is very difficult to just find out through someone that just showed up to your business and tells you, "Hey, we're having this problem. Um, they want the light rail uh install a light rail to go through Indian school." So, that's how I found out. I never received any notification um in regarding in the past uh that this was coming up. So this was just kind of hit me hard um overnight just feel that your business that's going to go down because you think about where are all those years going to go that I was hoping to retire from these businesses be able to live off of the the little bit that I was able to to gain through my business and and now I'm thinking all of that's going to go away. So, uh, we do have a vendor that's really important, but I guess my time is up. Manny Singh, followed by Samir Yuno. Manny, could you just wave so we can see where you are? Manny Singh. Okay. Uh Samir is next followed by Sarah Leon. Samir left. Okay. Is Sarah Leon here? Wonderful. Sarah is next followed by Deep Singh. Good evening, Mayor and Council. My name is Sarah Leon. I'm here tonight on behalf of St. Matthews residents in support of option one. I was born in Maryville and for the majority of the past 25 years, I've lived in the St. Matthews neighborhood which is wedged between the 19th Avenue Railroad and the I17. I raised my two young children in St. Matthews. I know well many of the neighbors who also have lived there for as long or longer than I have. Before I moved to to Phoenix, I lived in Seattle where public transportation and walking were staples in my life. I love my city, my hometown. But when I moved back eight years ago, I was disappointed in the lack of amenities for working-class folks that I had grown accustomed to in Seattle. Phoenix voters approved a light rail expansion multiple times. This vote today is about honoring the will of the people and the work of people like my longtime friend and neighbor Alfonso Vasquez, who has spent several years listening to the wants and concerns of our neighbors around this issue and many others. We in St. Matthews are deeply invested in our neighborhood, our neighbors, and the history and future of these streets. For many years, St. Matthews residents have actively engaged in conversations around light rail development. A request to Valley Metro and the city of Phoenix is that they build transportation, infrastructure, and a development process that is responsive to the needs and assets, sorry, of the St. Matthews neighborhood and its residents. We collectively support the capex expansion option one and ask the city of Phoenix and Valley Metro to commit to establishing continuous hallmarks of ethical community partnership. Specifically, we ask for the following commitments. Co-create a standing advisory team of St. Matthews residents with systematize access to city management, Phoenix City Council, Valley Metro, and relevant vendors and contractors. Support the sustainability of locallyowned businesses and the surrounding neighborhoods throughout the light rail development. Prioritize the cultural identity of St. Matthews when planning and purchasing and sale of nearby city owned land and maintain developed infrastructure including neighborhood determined public art and regular maintenance of facilities. Thank you. >> Thank you Sarah. Next up we have Deep Singh. >> Deep Sing. Thank you. Um, Cecilia Moreno. >> Okay. Valyriia Marin Okay. Hello mayor and council members. My name is Valeria Marin and I'm an Estraa village resident that is in district 9 and my com and I am also a community member with Roombo. With Rainbow, we are a community-based organization that works on climate adapt adaptation and extreme heat, especially in neighborhoods like Mville. I don't know if you guys know this, but Mville is one of the hottest uh cities in Phoenix and we've talked to our community time and time again. We have heard the challenges of the transportation that they have to deal with um during the extreme heat. Many people in Mville and all over the West Valley walk and wait for buses. A lot of these bus stops don't have enough shade or protection from the sun. For some in our community, public transportation is the only option for travel. It's how people get to work. It's how students get to school. It's how sick people get to medicate medical appointments and how fans get to arenas. Some as someone that went from living in a be in the beautiful Melrose district where I had access to two parking rides uh within one mile to moving to an area where there is no parking ride in my area. public transportation is horrible and we've voted number number of times for the capex expansion. Um, we've been paying taxes uh for it for a while now and we are tired of waiting. West Phoenix has been ignored time and time again and we're tired of it and we want what other cities have, what other parts of Phoenix have because we deserve it. We pay taxes and we vote as well. Thank you for your time. Thank you so much. Next, U. William Cubena. William Kubanka. >> Elect. Thank you. Uh Raymond Castillo. >> Hello everybody. I'm just um I'm here today just to choose an option one for the Keplick because I just uh cuz I live near 19 countback. Light has been my my public transportation since day one since 2008. So, I'm here today just to move it forward the the Klex expansion to want to see more expansion of the light rail to going to um the I 10 West towards Desert Sky and I just want to see more expansion on this trains cuz light rail is my life. I've been commuting since 2008 until right now 17 years ago today, December 27th was the the anniversary. So, it's one of I just want to say option one for this one. So, that way we could see more expansions on the I 10 freeway and that way we moving forward to the desert sky area and then there'll be more passengers from the west side that will go to Mortgage Matchup Arena Dbacks or ASU at the Tempe or wherever they want to go like Tempe Town Lake events to bring more people here. So I want to so I want to bring that up to everybody here. So I just want to bring more light rail to the I 10 to move forward to the Keplick. So let's move that forward so we can have more riders going forward from the from the west valley area. So I'm just saying that way in the future want to see more expansions going on with this light rail stuff. So I'm involved with this. So I just want to see more light rail at all times in the future. So that's why I love riding the light rail. Li is my life. So I lived here since since um for many years. Liil. I watched Lyrell got doing construction in my area and then and then moving forward to all the way from Montabella 19th to Sycamore and then went all the way towards Gilbert and later on went to uh Gilbert Maine and we have the North S Metro Center park the Williams trans center. That's two years already. >> Thank you so much. >> Next we have James Graph. James Craft. >> Oh, sorry. Hello, Mayor, Vice Mayor, members of the council. My name is James Grafee. I work at Culac building walkable neighborhoods in Tepe Mesa. But these are my personal remarks. I choose to live in the valley car-free. I'm a frequent light rail rider and I'm here in support of option one to move light rail forward. Fast, frequent, fast, reliable, fast transit does not bring crime. It brings access to the valley for the Phoenicians along the route. It's impossible to find the perfect alignment which satisfies all 1,68,139 Phoenix residents. But the community has spoken again and again that they want an alternative to sitting in I 10 traffic as soon as possible. We should continue with the capex project and then move forward with other speedy extensions as soon as possible. I've talked the collective ears off of Phoenix and Valley Metro staff about how how to optimize these alignments and I'm satisfied that the 16th north alignment is a good outcome given the constraints and stakeholders involved and moving forward on fast frequent light rail. Let me repeat. I think speed is the most important part of making useful transit. Fast transit is the best way for the city to pro transportation network to provide the transportation network Phoenix deserves. Please move forward on option one. Thank you. >> Thank you, Maxim Salana. Good evening city mayor, vice mayor, council members, city staff, city police dignitaries. My name is Maxim Sana. I'm holding gas station 27th a and Indian school. I appreciate and understand that you guys are providing right trail facil facility for the students and community people to commute. I appreciate that the thought of thought and support for the community but other hand it is hard for us to paying a big money to get the gas station in the year 2022. Light rail construction might take years to gather plans definitely affect our business revenue. It took three years to get the business break break even. I humbly request city Phoenix to move up move the plan with the option one also evaluate how many businesses get affected with this plan versus how many people get benefited with the right rail. I truly believe and request you guys once again evaluate the and about the project moving option one less together. Finenix is the best place to do the business and support the community. Thank you. All right. Uh, we'll go next to Leonard Clark, followed by Kevin Deanna. Mr. Clark, could you wave? All right. I think Mr. Clark had to depart. So Kevin Demena will be next. Uh followed by a J. Paul Sidu. Thank you, Mayor, members of the council. It's been a long but productive evening. I learned a lot from what we've heard from the testimony. I also learned a lot about Phoenix Police Department this evening. I'm a resident of District 6 happily and um worked for my sons at 15th Avenue and Monroe um in District 7. How did it come to this is really what I have to say. Um the Capitol Mall is ripe for development. There is endless open space. And if you check back six months later, the wrecking ball will probably have visited the mall once more and there'll be more open space. Even the garages are empty. It screams, it cries out for development. Phoenix Community Alliance in the 80s produced, paid for by the city a plan, the Capitol Mall development plan. Happy to share that with you sometime. But in this ripeness, what we have um it's perfect on a scale that really can't be measured anywhere else for capex. This area is devoid of neighborhoods and small businesses. The challenge of course is political. So we come to these polar opposites now with Indian school and capex at the capital. The contrast is overwhelming. One is devoid of neighborhoods. The other is filled with them. One is devoid of small businesses. Indian school is filled with them. So these polar opposites need to be reconciled. The answer is simple. Quit writing lawyerly letters to each other and engage the legislature. Let's go down there and meet seriously leader to leader and see what can get done. This belongs on capex and I'm happy to be a part of this mayor and council. Thank you mayor. >> Thank you uh Mr. Demena. Uh Mr. Demena. Um we have some questions for you. Councilman Hernandez. >> Thank you mayor. Um thank you so much Mr. Demena. uh you just spoke to you know going to engage with the legislature um because of the some of the concerns. Have you had have you share I mean what has your experience been in having conversations with the legislators um down the street around this project? >> I've not met many that like transit at all and that's been a perspective since the days when Jim Wearing was in the state senate. It's it's it's held Yes. >> But as the alternatives have emerged, the notion of Indian school as a transit corridor, it's it's stopped them in their tracks. So there's an interest on the part of Senator John Kavanaaugh in learning more about that. I sat in on your meeting with Representative Livingston. Um, these are not the leaders, but they're just one step down, which is why I came with that message. I encourage you to negotiate in earnest at a high level. >> Thank you. Um, another question. I know originally you had a lot of concerns as Capital X was moving um because of the amazing location um that you get to work and you get to probably walk to the capital and have probably walked to the capital a lot. Um, do you feel like once you raise those concerns that we as a city and valley metro listened to those concerns to try to come up with solutions um that enabled us to continue with capital extension? >> The initial community outreach um you could write essays on its failures. But once we connected with Marcus and Jessica, everything changed. Information flowed. uh they gave me complimentary maps and really that's when I would describe it as as as the real decision makers began to absorb this and sadly uh the speaker uh hasn't received a city briefing. He hasn't asked for one. My proposal is that we go down there and try to make it happen. The area south of the cap, this just calls for this project. >> Thank you. And my last question, um, do you think that the city should honor the will of the voters to continue the capital extension forward? >> Uh, the answer would be a simple yes. >> Thank you. >> And Mr. uh, Mr. Demen, uh, Vice Mayor has a question for you. >> Thank you so much, Mayor. Thank you for spending the time with us this evening. I just want to clarify your comment. I I want to make sure I understand what what you what you meant when you said we need to negotiate in earnest with our neighbors at the state legislator. Is did I get that right or >> it's a little late. I apologize. >> Almost exactly. >> Can you tell me exactly what you mean by that? I I mean that madame mayor, councilwoman, uh that we have senior leadership in the form of the manager, the mayor, and at the legislature. They likewise have senior leadership. There's a role for the governor's office to play there. This hasn't happened. Uh if this were set in the ninth top ninth, Arizona's governor's office has nine floors. This hasn't gotten past the second or the third. And that's what it takes to make something as complex as this has become is it needs leadership. The staff brings the numbers, but the leaders make the decisions. >> So, are you saying a decision, the decision that we make here as a city, we need to um strike that? >> I could answer the question. Go ahead. >> You can ask the answer the question. I just feel like I was starting to articulate it incorrectly, but go ahead. You can answer if you think >> I believe we need to pursue option one with an entirely different narrative. What are the alternatives? What are the costs? Particularly Indian school being showcased and I think that message will change minds at the capital. >> I I again it's late so maybe my memory isn't serving me correctly. Um I thought at one junct at one juncture you represented the group that was opposed to this capex um extension. Am I >> represent? I'm I'm here on my own dime and I am u not lobbying the capital um on this. I started as an intern at the state senate 40 years ago left as staff director and have never worked more than a hundred yards from that place. So, it's my neighborhood. I'd like to see it done right. Capex at the southern end. For heaven's sakes, we could put skate parks. We could put a mini Hollywood Bowl. The space is crying out um for housing. >> But I appreciate that, I guess. But my question is if I was incorrect, um that at one point a letter was drafted. I thought your name was on that letter that indicated you were opposed to the capex extension and I'm and I but I'm hearing if I'm incorrect you can please let me know >> 100%. >> I'm incorrect. >> The letter I signed was in support. >> Okay. That's why I wanted to clarify. >> Okay. And then >> go ahead mayor. >> Okay. I have some questions too but I want you to finish or you feel free to finish. >> I'm finishing my questions. >> Okay. So, uh, and I think it's probably become clear, but you represent stakeholders at the Cape, uh, Capital and have even represented the city, helped us with things like the convention center. So, professional lobbying experience. >> We, our business is public affairs and lobbying. Proud to say that we got the state many years ago to pay for one half of the expansion of the civic center. >> So, their record of doing amazing things is a a small one, but it's there. and so really appreciate your contributions to the city and like coun the vice mayor I am also thrilled you have changed your mind because the last time we spoke you were very opposed >> I was concerned about my sons losing their property at that time that's not on the maps anymore >> uh the legislature passed and governor Dussy signed legislation saying that they have approval over stops at the capital mall area should we ignore legislation passed by >> we should >> and signed by the governor. >> Madame Mayor, the result of getting in this room is a product that would almost certainly lead to changes in that statute. Um the area to the south of the capital just hasn't been vetted. It's far enough away. They're not transit supporters, but they don't want to see the Phoenix Business Corps decimated while transit is planned andor executed. Uh, Speaker Montenegro and Senate President Warren Peterson sent me a letter. We are united in our opposition to any new light rail extensions. Convince me Warren Peterson's going to change his mind. >> I'm not sure Warren Peterson will be Senate President in a few more weeks. He keeps talking about making a change. And that is the point. We've all learned so much and the Indian school alternative the cost of not doing capex has not been a part of this dialogue. The cost of some of us remember the paradise parkway which froze that corridor for a decade. Nothing sold, nothing was purchased. That's the fear. That's what may happen to Indian school. So let's run capex until we can't be run no more. All right. Well, thank you for your testimony and Councilman Wearing. >> Um, so Montenegro and Kavanaaugh were legislators when I was a legislator. They hated it then, they hated it now. You're talking about turning around rather deeply held beliefs. Staffers, you mentioned staffers. They hated it equally as much, if not more. Um, and you think you're going to turn that around in a few weeks or months. It could be years before something changes. Didn't Katie Hobbs send a letter to them in May indicating she wouldn't change her mind unless they change theirs? More or less paraphrasing. >> Paraphrasing uh, Councilman Wearing. Um, I'm not really sure where to take that. We keep talking about the legislature as though it controls all of this. There are streets well outside of the what we call the donut and the hole in the donut. Uh there are options that aren't covered in uh Speaker Toma's uh footnote in the budget three two three years ago. Now there are options. Mayor, you do recognize though that if the legislature decides they're mad at us, they could do dastardly things to the city of Phoenix. >> You You do recognize that, I think, important fact. Do you not? >> I represented the city for a decade at the legislature and it's the state's two biggest governments and it's been rare when they've gotten along. When their interests align, they get along. Hence the expansion of the civic plaza and the and the funding for the expansion from the state. >> That was 23 years ago. >> I'm not that old, so I I'm not sure. >> What I'm saying is it's been 800 years since I served in the legislature. Those guys were there then as now. Some of those staffers were too. I doubt they've changed their minds. >> I think saying we're going to go down there and have a meeting and it's going to be great. >> No. >> Sounds like a fool's errand. you've persuaded me that it would be difficult, not that it shouldn't be tried. And in earnest, these folks when we meet with them, they ask uh datadriven questions. Um, and I'd love to put them across from Marcus and his experts. Uh, data communication leads to persuasion. It's worth a try. >> I doubt that's actually true. Thank you for indulging me, mayor. >> Thank you. Uh thank you. >> Hi my name is Ajipal Siddhu and I own a business on 27th and Indian school mayor vice mayor and counselor. Good morning. Oh everybody is right. Right. So that's that's what that's what happened. Everybody know it's the evening right? So that's what happened with us option one and then they throw option two. Oh where that came from same thing the morning came right here. So there was nothing disclose for this and they just throw the option on that and basically totally no planned nothing just they just told us like that's what going to happen that's what we are thinking about it. So whatever the people voted for before it's not going to work. It's not going to work. So basically waste of the money. So doing this this is my second time it's happening. Before I own a business in Tempe Mlan talk and Apache they put the light rail right there and it destroy my business plus the crime every day. Lot of people at lot of time I called the cops. They said oh we can't do anything because they do the crime and then they run on the light rail and we can't catch them so nobody stand it and they said sorry about that but we can't do anything so it's same thing is going to happen on Indian school room people going to be suffered their business going to be suffered and nobody going to be care so lot of homeless lot of crime and it's going to destroy all the business like it happened on central valley it happened on Apachi so it's going to be same thing over and over what we always think like America is always 100 year ahead but doing this I think we are doing 50 years back again we have option one more time to vote one more time to think about this thank you >> thank Thank you Sham Sher Singh followed by Saul era Morel. >> Hello my name is Sham Sher Lassim Singh I own the business for the 4102 North 27th Avenue 76 gas station. So we don't receive any email we don't heard about any in the light rail line for the Indian school road but we heard about in the like last month like a December 17. So I come in the meeting here. So then be the same time they say no light rail coming in the Indian school road. So what yesterday we heard about the light rail come to Indian school road we buy the business and we remodel the store change the brand everything we spend a lot of money to build the business so if the light rail we come in the Indian school there we kill in the my business so we better the choose the option number one. Thank you. >> Saul is next followed by Khalihaj. >> Good evening mam members of the council. Mayor, um my name is uh Saul Pere Morano. Um, I'm a resident of District 5 Mville. Um, I was born and raised here in Phoenix. I'm a Army veteran. Um, and I, um, volunteer in the group, uh, called Rumbo. Um, we are a grassroots local organization specifically in Marville to combat, um, uh, the heat island effect. um a lot of uh uh lot of uh climate change issues specifically in Mville as Mville is very susceptible to higher temperatures than average in other parts of the metro. Um, they're also more susceptible to skin cancer and and uh and and u lung cancer and as well as uh asthma due to the prevalence of a lack of alternatives for transportation and a predominance of uh of car centric development in the west side. Um, and and as and as someone who who was a veteran who only knew of uh Phoenix up until I served in the military where I was stationed in Germany where they have a much more fully realized and in-depth um uh public transit system, the the Deutschban, the Yuban, and the Esvan. Um it was it was far more it changed my perspective on how much uh public transportation can benefit us, especially in the rail systems. And that's why um I'm in uh I'm in complete support of option one to um to continue with capex ext uh capex and with the I 10 west expansion and then hopefully later on it will gain uh it will be fully realized to also extend in um in Indian school and um uh exactly where I live as I live right on Indian school road. Thank you. Uh, Khali is next followed by Sterling. Not here. Okay. Is Sterling here? Okay. Is Daphne Cortez here? All right. Dafany is next, followed by Carmen Bagon. Okay. Uh, good evening, uh, mayor and council. My name is Daffhne Cortez and I'm a community organizer with Roombo. Uh, Roombo is a community based project focused on climate adaptation and extreme heat and we've been working in the neighborhoods that are impacted the most by heat. Uh, specifically Mbel. Uh we speak directly with residents about how heat may affect daily life and turn their experiences into strategies to make our community more resilient. Uh recently residents have shared that transportation is a major challenge during extreme heat. Many walk, wait for buses, or rely on public transit transit without shade or protection from the sun. I don't think that transportation should be a luxury. It's how we get to work, school, and medical appointments and essential services. A long walk uh long walks or standing at hot bus stops puts elders, children, and workers at risk. As a student, I grew up taking the bus across the west side and often wondered why the light rail, which is faster and more efficient, never reached our neighborhoods. I'm 25 now, and it still hasn't been decided if it will. Every day I talk to students and families that say the light rail would make their community their commutes easier. I know it would have helped me back then. So I stand here urging you to pass the CAP X extension into Mbell's. We already waited 25 years and the route isn't the issue. The delay is supporting light rail is both an equity and a sustainable decision. Our community has paid taxes, waited patiently, um, and waited patiently, and deserves the same reliable transit often other neighborhoods already have. I urge you to approve the light rail capex expansion and ensure Mville isn't left behind. Roombo is also presenting our resilience Phoenix project, which we would be happy to share with each council member and the city. Thank you for your time. Thank you. Carmen is next, followed by Elizabeth. Carmen Bagon. Carmen, could you just wave? All right. I don't see Carmen. Is Elizabeth Lee here? Okay. She She left. Okay. Kayla Garcia. Okay. Um, Kayla is here. >> Awesome. Thank you. And is is um Ma here as well? Ma's here. Okay. Could you could uh So, it'll be Kayla and then Ma. Good evening, mayor and council. My name is Kayla Garcia and I'm here as part of the Mary Bell and Indian School Coalition. I've lived in Arizona for 5 years now and I'm a part of a family that owns small businesses along Indian School Road. While I can appreciate the city's goal of improving mobility and sustainability, I believe a light rail is not the solution, at least not on Indian. In a city like Phoenix, where growth is still largely suburban, the light rail expansion doesn't fit well with the way our city already operates. We will continue to be a car dependent city and our already operating metros have faced a lot of backlash from the community. We aren't against Valley Metro's goals to improve transportation, but we are against the light rail in our area and the path it's taking. The business corridor that is Indian school and is sorry the business corridor that is Indian school road is overwhelmingly made up of a small locallyowned businesses people who have spent years being loyal to their city, paying tax dollars and contributing to the growth of Phoenix. Indian school is vital to the community and to the city. This project will not just disrupt them, it will shut them down completely. If we approve this light rail, we face the consequences that central a already faced. Consequences my family businesses has already faced in Tempe when it was forced to shut down when the light rail was constructed there. Years of construction, lane reductions and limited access are not survival conditions. Not in this accommodate economy, not with everything going on. We would be doing a disservice to the very community we want to improve. I would also like to mention that we have felt a lack of transparency by Valley Metro city staff and members of the council. At the meetings, we were told that the discussion for Indian school light rail were premature. But up until a week ago, we found out that by selecting option two to reevaluate Cape also meant expediting the light rails plans for construction along Indian School Road. We just want to be heard and involved in this decision and to be given the correct information before moving forward. Thank you. >> Thank you. Ma is next, followed by Lorenna Gutierz. >> Good evening, mayor, vice mayor, and council. My name is Mika Kadis, and I'm speaking in support of option one. This city needs to make building out the light rail a priority. I think we really need to look at this in terms of opportunity cost. Cap X was first approved by voters in 2000. It's taken 26 years to get to this point. Re-evaluation means years of delays. The net effect being that no one gets light rail anywhere for a very long time. Choosing option two means you'll be going right back to the start and in 10 years we'll all be sitting here in this exact same place, but even worse off. This moment now is the closest we are going to be to a significant light rail expansion for probably the next decade. The decision council makes today will have repercussions decades down the line. I don't own a car and I don't drive. And every day I experience the difficulty and frustration of living in a city that was built for cars and not people. And I've often found myself asking, how did we get here? And the answer is through the cumulative cumulative effect of decades of persistent failure to recognize the scale and urgency of this problem and respond to it. Today, this council is standing a meter from the finish line and only has to continue to walk forward. This isn't the only race the city needs to run to fix our public transportation system, but it is one that we can't afford to lose. Thank you. Lorenna is next, followed by Luis Avala. Lorenna Gutierrez. All right, Luis is next, followed by Lucas Vargas. First, I want to thank the community for being here and being here for so long. Uh really proud of being a physician tonight. Um mayor and council members, um good evening and uh my name is Luis Ail. I'm here on behalf of Rungo, a community- based organization u working on climate resilience projects in Mville. Let's be honest, council is not being asked to choose between routes tonight. What you are being asked is if you are going to even have an option for a live rail in the west side. Option two, it's asking if we should incorporate or even consider other transportation options when the overwhelming majority of people tonight have expressed their support for light rail. But stepping out of the current process to re-evaluate other options as presented in option two, we might even not even have light rail. Even though one thing is agreed upon tonight, we all want it. The route itself is not the central issue. Delay is. Phoenix voters approved funding for library more than 20 years ago and Mville residents have been paying into the tax system over a decade. Any decision decision that exists in the federal pipeline or restarts analysis risks pushing real access to high-capacity transit even more in the future. What value Metro have presented tonight is just a promise not based on an actual pipeline. Last year Roomba released a draft of the resilient Phoenix report based on door-to-door engagement with more than 300 residents. One finding is critical for today's decision. Nearly seven out of 10 residents told us that they're considering leaving Phoenix because of the impact of extreme heat. That is not abstract. It shows up long and unshaded walks to transit unsafe conditions in the summer and systems that do not feel connected to daily life. Our report is clear. Transportation is climate adaptation infrastructure and resilience requires systems not silos. Transit shade vulnerability walkability especially in the hottest parts of the city is needed. The staff report shows that while stepping out of the current process may appears faster on paper, that is not even a an option. Rates the timeline risks missing the April 2026 federal deadline and over 300 millions in delay. I'm here to support uh Cape and option one. Thank you. >> Thank you so much. And I'm sorry, did was Lucas Vargas here? Thank you. and then we'll go uh to virtual to Orion Wise. And if you have signed up for inerson, could you and have not been called, could you just go to the back and let our team know? Thank you. Floor is yours. >> Thank you very much. Uh mayor, thank you to the council. My name is Lucas. I'm a 17-year-old high school senior here in Phoenix. I'm a big fan of the light rail. Um I was born the same year as the light rail was opened. Uh my sixth birthday party was a ride on the light rail. at least to say I have lived this for all of my life. And you know, as a young person growing up in this city, it's both sad to see the way in which our past leaders have failed us by only creating the cycle of poverty that car dependency establishes, but have also sometimes failed to create the light rail expansion, sustainable transportation we need for people like me to stay in the city and find it affordable. So that's why I'm support of option one because this is the closest we have ever been to finally getting our West Phoenix light rail. Now again as I'd like to reiterate, this is not a choice between capex and India school. This is a choice between finally getting West Phoenix light rail or not getting it at all. Um I've heard it said that perfect is the enemy of good enough. But the funny thing is is that we have a perfect plan already. something that's been vetted multiple times by the amazing Valley Metro staff and that offers to relieve congestion, improve our air quality, bring billions of dollars investment into our West Phoenix communities and to help young people like myself stay in this city. So, when I ask you to please vote on option one, whether it's uh the north option, the south option, please vote for option one because it's the only way that we can create resilience in our city to finally create the city that I have been dreaming of for all of my life. Um, many of my friends that I know use public transportation, the light rail to get around. I've been to multiple multiple speech and debate tournaments at ASU using the light rail. It's something that my community and my school uses. So, I'd ask everyone on this council from my council member Robinson to everyone down the line to please please vote um to pass option one. Thank you very much. >> Thank you. Orion is next, followed by Vanessa. >> Orion, go ahead. >> Hi there. Um, uh, good evening, uh, mayor and council members. My name is Orion Wise. Um, my firm owns a property at 43rd Indian School. We oversee more than 25 businesses at that location as tenants and fellow business owners. You've heard from some of them tonight. And unfortunately, we and they weren't invited to any meetings. Didn't get any letters, no emails, no phone calls. I only learned about this from a neighbor at the last minute. Uh please understand, we support public transit. We understand losing the spot in the pipeline for federal funding is not an acceptable outcome here. So, we see option one as the only real choice. Any other choice would be depriving your 1.6 million constituents of their shot at getting back any of the federal tax dollars they've been paying their whole lives as a grant here. Option one avoids years of delay that would only prolong uncertainty, avoids a lastminute change to Indian school that would either kill light rail altogether or if enacted would trigger business closures, job losses, economic displacement, and send a chilling message to the business owners along this quarter that the city of Phoenix doesn't care about them. Uh, Vice Mayor Washington said this is an opportunity to learn from the past. Let's see that learning in action. After approving option one, we'd like you to commit to consult with the businesses affected by decisions going forward if the time comes to address any future extensions. Dialogue and community engagement with the constituents is critical to ensure the city doesn't repeat the mistakes of South Central that ruins so many of the lives you've heard from today. An 8,800 person survey does not overweigh the will of the people. Um, I'd like to thank Council Member Hernandez who asked some supporters of option one to affirm their support for the will of the people. Can you please ask all the council members who would support option two over option one why would they would reject it and on whose authority they would reject it with? To any council members who support option two and because they're worried about the political reality or feasibility of option one despite all the support here, please rest assured the public would prefer you fail trying to enact option one than they would not even bothering to try and violating the will of the people. In closing, I'd like to acknowledge you've all got a hard job. I know it's an unappreciated one. Thanks for serving the public and using your best judgment. Vote option one. >> Vanessa is next, followed by Julie. >> Good evening, mayor and members of the council. My name is Vanessa, and my family and I have owned properties and businesses in Mville for over 20 years. I'm here to oppose light rail on Indian School Road, particularly given the lack of communication we have received. Over a short period of time, we have spoken with residents, property owners, employees, business owners along the corridor and collected over 500 signatures opposing the light rail on Indian School Road. These signatures came from firsthand conversations with community members who were never informed that this route was even being considered. The online survey summary presented today was very misleading because it did not clearly state that option two would place light rail on Indian School Road. As a result, those survey responses should not be treated as support for Indian School Road route. It's also concerning that the survey allows for anonymous and repeat submissions and it was extended beyond the original deadline. The community need not vote for light rail on Indian school road. This route wasn't presented to voters in any election and the LPA that was approved in 2024 moved forward without community knowledge or involvement. When we collected signatures and spoke to community members, we did specifically ask if they were informed about the route in 2023 or 2024 or received any communication. And the overwhelming response was no. There was a short list of businesses that was stated to have received Valley Metro flyers, but they were either larger corporations or the businesses mentioned they never received the flyer. As you can see, the majority of us only learned about Indian School Road route recently. And the lack of transparency has caused real stress and uncertainty for families, employees, and business owners. Indian School Road is the heart of family-owned small businesses. Placing light rail on that corridor and the loss of revenue will make it impossible for businesses to pay their loans, keep their employees, and stay open. This would not only hurt businesses, but also the residents and workers who depend on them and live in this community. The people who live, work, and invest in the area deserve to be heard. Based on this meeting, I support option one. Thank you for your time. Thank you. We lost Julie, so we'll go to Joanna, followed by Simon. >> Uh, good evening, Mayor Diego and council. My name is Joanna Shrether, and I am the senior director of advocacy for the American Lung Association. Arizona has some of the worst air quality in the country, and our transportation sector is the primary driver of our air pollution burdens. The Lung Association State of the Air report found that 84% of Arizonans are living in a county with unhealthy air and Phoenix ranked fourth most ozone polluted city in the US. Poor air quality worsens lung and heart disease leading to more asthma attacks, stroke, and even premature death. As our city councilors, you can protect public health by offering access to safe routes to walk, bike, and expanding the option of clean public transportation. Light rail is an important measure to reduce the lung health impacts of dirty transportation. Approving this light rail expansion project means less cars on a roads, improved air quality, and better health outcomes across Phoenix. Rapid transition is what we would like to support tonight. Thank you. >> Thank you. Simon is next. >> Hello. Um, my name is Simon Jesus. Uh, this is getting it's getting pretty late so I'll keep this very short. I'm a homeowner in central Phoenix and I live near the existing beline. I appreciate and use the existing uh rail and I support the expansion of light rail and I'm in support of option one and I don't think it's necessary for the capex project to be delayed anymore. Thank you. >> Thank you so much. Do we get everyone? I'm sorry. Will you >> Andrew Parker? >> Yes. Hello. Thank you. Um I'm Andrew. I live in district 4 and just want to say that I support option one to move forward with the capex light rail extension. Um for many of the same reasons that I won't repeat. Um, but I did want to mention that one point of opposition that's really curious to me is that this potential push back from the legislature. And it's just so strange because I think anyone who's been following these meetings knows for a fact that you all, me and the council, don't live in perpetual fear of the state legislature. Um, and we know that because if you did, why are we here? Uh, wouldn't we just be granting the legislature all of their wishes and operate the city according to the needs of those living out of town? Um, I mean, one example of this is last month there was a really impassion middle housing conversation that resulted in a few council members committing to challenging the state legislature on this issue. Councilwoman Pastor advised those opposed to direct their energy and their anger toward the legislature. And, you know, despite this new state law painting this council into a corner, you did not suggest rolling over. Uh, in this case, you you you really didn't have a choice. Uh but despite this, you suggested, hey, let's keep working on this and let's find a way. And so now we're faced with another challenge uh that's similar, I think, but unlike middle housing, this decision is not out of the council's hands. Uh Councilman Wearing made it really clear a few meetings ago that the council is, you know, made up made up of elected officials that have a voice that us normal people don't really have a right to. And no matter how frustrating that may be, he's absolutely uh he's absolutely right. I mean, you all uniquely do have that power. Um but you also have the responsibility to do what's right for the future of the city. And so I'm just asking you along with all of my neighbors and and my friends to please keep this same spirit that you had. And um and don't just roll over. please deliver uh for this city like the people have asked for um time and time again. Um also don't think we can overstate how muddled this has become. There are folks here that would appear to be opposing light rail when they're really just opposing this Indian school route which isn't really on the table right now. And so I think it's just worth considering that when interpreting these survey results, it's likely that the vast majority do in fact support light rail. Um and those might be misleading. So thank you. Thank you. Jerry is next, followed by Juan Vega. Juan is on. All right, Juan is next, followed by John S. >> Well, hello everyone. My name is Juan Vigga. I'm from District 1. I've relied on public transport for most most of my life and I think we should choose option one to maintain the capital I 10 extension to keep transit 2050 on track. The plans are already there for the capital extension. Option two risk losing federal funds and will end up being cancelled hurting progress we have made towards making Phoenix livable. If anything, we should redirect a good portion of the money including of the discretionary budget from the police department and towards furthering our goal of making good public transport all the way to Marville. But going back to the topic on hand, we need to reduce car usage. Car usage is herjudicial to the people. It increases the cost of living and it causes lots of deadly accidents as you see a lot of those accidents on the I 10. Phoenix is almost unlivable and dangerous for anyone who doesn't have a car. And I think if we choose option two, we're just trying to put it off to the future and then just cancel it. So, we need to remain on option one. Lastly, we need to start reducing emissions. The air quality in Phoenix is very poor and this is because of car emissions. Because poorer people spend more time outside of cars, they are more affected by the noxious fumes and possible respiratory problems they could get. Not to mention, reducing emissions is necessary to combat anthropogenic climate change. We are on track of increasing global temperatures by 1.5° C. So, we need to already just begin going. So, please consider option one and even more aggressive funding of public transit. Thank you. Thank you. John is next, followed by Jean Carlo. Uh, John Sakoman. Go ahead, John. We can't hear you. John, we don't hear you. >> I'm turned on. >> Okay, now we hear you. >> Okay, I spoke too soon. John, we we >> can you >> You're cutting in and out. Okay, I'm just option. >> Okay. >> How much? >> Okay. I think option one. John, we know you waited so long to testify and I do believe we heard option one and thank you, but it really cut in and out a lot. >> Okay, we'll we'll mark John uh for support of option one. John Carlo is next, followed by Sean. >> Uh hello, Mayor Ggo and council members. My name is John Carlo Valdeo and I work at the National Campaign for Transit Justice. We are a national organization that fights for public transit that is frequent and accessible, working with local advocates in over 30 states and fighting for increased federal support for transit. I'm here today calling in from Washington DC to speak in support of option one to keep the capital extension on track because of the consequences of withdrawing from the FTA's capital investment grants pipeline. In attachment B for tonight's meeting, it is noted that a pause of project development and a new NEPA process assumes quote that the FTA has capacity and quote for additional work. As of October 2025, the ENO center for transportation noted that FTA has lost over 35% of its staff since January 25. Increasing the headcount at federal agencies takes time. And if option two is selected on the basis that a new project will be met with open arms when returning to FTA, it may come back to find many fewer arms available to welcome it back. In contrast, federal transit funding is still available as evidenced by FTA budget requests and the statements of the Republican chair of the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee against getting rid of the mass transit account in the highway trust fund. Leaving the CIG pipeline now will significantly reduce the likelihood that any project is able to receive funds upon re-entering the pipeline in the future. This situation is especially tragic given that there are multiple other projects around the country with less local support than the capital extension and a lower chance of getting built than the capital extension that are still in the CIG pipeline simply because they have not come across this same project development deadline. When a project has been supported by voters at the ballot box so many times and will be completed by an agency with such a positive record, the greatest danger comes not from state legislative threats, but from being unprepared to take advantage of federal funds. Please don't pit these transit projects against each other and ensure that all of Phoenix loses out. Thank you. >> Thank you. Sean is next, followed by Amanda. Uh, good evening, mayor and council members. My name is Sean Cherion. I serve as the treasurer of the Evans Churchill Community Association. I speak to you today to urge you to vote for option one, either of the 16th Avenue routes, so that Phoenix may continue to expand its investment into sustainable forms of transportation. I want to highlight here that our discussion tonight should be regarding whether capex or Indian school light rail happens first. The plan should be to create both light rail lines, not one over the other. It is paramount that Phoenix makes the right decision here by supporting option one to secure federal funding for CAP X and continue our steadfast pursuit towards making Phoenix the most sustainable desert city in the world. Some oper opponents of light rail argue that it is a poor use of taxpayer funds due to his high upfront costs. While the upfront costs are significant and should not be ignored, these claims overlook the significant benefits of transit oriented development associated with light rail, which supports walkable neighborhoods, reduce traffic congestion, and lower emissions. I know that we have all felt that the massive economic boom that happened downtown, which was uh mainly in part due to the transformation from the light rail, transforming the area from a ghost town to an area that people are excited to visit. This same potential for development lies ready to be unlocked in the capital district, which would expand downtown's walkable footprint. Please make the right decision by voting for option one as to not throw away a decade of progress. Thank you. >> Thank you. Amanda is next, followed by Nicole. >> Amanda, go ahead. The floor is yours. Amanda, we we don't hear you. >> All right. Uh Nicole is next. >> I can't. Hello. Can you hear me? >> We We can. >> Beautiful. Good evening, Mayor Ggo, Vice Mayor Hajj Washington, and members of the council. Um, within the last week, I got to do eight hours of doornocking across Phoenix and Mesa to promote to promote a harm reduction event. Some of you might have seen my flyer, but one glaringly ugly reality is apparent. Our valley is littered with broken down cars. In the neighborhoods I visited, at least 80% of the homes had a parked unused vehicle. Many had two or three, clogging our streets, driveways, and yards. This isn't just an eyesore. It is a symptom. A symptom of a city where people are forced into car ownership they cannot afford because our transit system is incomplete. The capital extension has been researched, evaluated, re-evaluated, and essentially funded. Phoenix has been waiting 15 years for this, longer than I've had kids. If you do not vote to move forward today, it would be a se it would be a um severe mismanagement of our city's resources and frankly a slap in the face to your constituents who have already voted and voted to approve this. Now, let's be real about option two. Option two is designed to systematically kill this plan, trash decades of work, and forfeit hundreds of millions in federal funding. The state legislators trying to bully you into negotiating an alternative with them are not acting in good faith. Let's not get it twisted. These tactics do follow a pattern, a long-standing racist pattern of restricting equitable access to our houses of power. By trying to block this light rail from the West Valley to the capital, they're intentionally isolating our diverse communities. Census data shows that in Phoenix, black and brown households are significantly less likely to own a vehicle compared to white households, making reliable transit a matter of basic civil rights. At least five of you on this board need to have the guts and clarity to stand up for the future of Phoenix. Don't leave our children with an unfulfilled transit pipe dream as your legacy. Vote to approve the capex and let's finally get Phoenix light roll moving west. Thank you. >> Thank you. We got everyone. Okay. Councilwomanado. >> Thank you, Mayor. Um first just want to thank everyone in the community that came and spoke. Um definitely we see um that there is strong support um for light rail. Um but first I wanted to start with some questions that I have for staff you know given some of the comments um that we heard today. Um so my first question is how does India school road compare to other corridors in terms of east west connectivity and transit demand especially in west Phoenix and Mville? Um, mayor, members of the council, um, the West Phoenix line, how does that compare to other corridors? Is, if I'm understanding the question correctly? >> I know it's late. >> Yeah, just making sure. Um, as you know, when we did the West Phoenix high-capacity transit analysis, um, we looked at corridors ranging from Camelback to the north to McDow on the south. Um that also included us looking at um central on the east boundary, 99th Avenue on the west boundary. So we looked at several different options. I think it was a total of 14 route options. We looked in that corridor um through a technical analysis as well as community feedback. The Indian school um alignment was the preferred alternative. Um so when we looked at those alignments, we looked at things as potential writership. Um, we looked at the population growth. We looked at access to jobs in places of need. Um, and we also looked at um, constructibility >> on a very high level. >> Thank you for that. And another question, I think this is more for you, Jessica. Based on previous library projects, what lessons learned and best practices has the city developed to reduce impacts on small businesses during construction? Thank you, Mayor, Council Member God, members of the council. While every project is different, it depends on the project and the neighbors that we have. I think uh with the South Central Extension project, which is our most recent project that was really constructed in close proximity to local businesses, namely small businesses. I think some of the lessons learned there were frequent communication and engagement. Uh, a lot of the frustration that small businesses expressed with was things like having their driveway access blocked. Uh, the travel patterns changing from day to day. Uh, in the waning days of the project in the last year or so of major construction, I think we did a much better job communicating directly with the businesses. We had staff embedded on the ground at the field office whose job was uh community and business engagement. So those businesses had individuals from the project team that they could call on their cell phone that were then working directly with the construction crews on the ground. And I think that is a success that needs to be carried forward into future projects. Um but at the very beginning of the project um constructing light rail the the way we do in a street running environment uh as most of our projects have been built often involves utility relocation. And so it's a lot of digging and it's more than I think people um might expect from a light rail project that seems at the surface when we're actually opening it. Um so I think it's open and ongoing communication and creating an expectation of what that is going to look like. But again the specific treatments every project's different. >> Great. Thank you. Thank you for that Marquez. The next one's for you. How does the width of Indian School Road provide additional flexibility to maintain traffic flow, business access, and pedestrian safety compared to our corridors? Um, Councilwoman Gardado, so for Indian School, looking at the geometry of the width of Indian School versus a more narrow corridor. Um, when we look at advancing the design for a light rail project, one of the things we al um that we tried to take into consideration is our impact on properties on along that corridor. Um, we're actually graded on a competitiveness depending on the amount of impacts that we have. That's part of that NEPA process that Jessica spoke to earlier. Um, Indian school, if we were go to a narrower corridor, um, the the chances are that we would need to take or acquire more property along that corridor to accommodate for light rail and the infrastructure needs that come along with those projects. Um it would be hard for me to say specifically um what that would look like in comparison to another corridor without having like a final design um to where we could compare apples to apples. But I would say at a more general level that the wider the wider the rightway is and the larger footprint that you have, it makes it a lot easier for us to be able to accommodate drive aisles, pedestrian traffic, all of those things within that existing envelope. And right now, um, how many lanes each way do you think we have on Indian School? >> Um, if I recall correctly, Indian School has three lanes in one direction and two in in another direction depending on what section of Indian School. I couldn't give you the breakdown of exactly what intersections those uh change. Um, but I know it's three and two. >> Got it. Thank you. And another for you, Marcus. What specific business outreach or mitigation tools would staff anticipate using along Indian school road or or valley metro >> business? >> Yes. To make sure that we're supporting our businesses. Um, one of the things that we've been uh very blessed with and I would say from this council that really had the forethought to say we wanted to start the small business financial assistance program. I understand we heard some testimony today talking about those grants. This was something that we've never done before and it at the direction of the mayor and council, we were able to implement that on our south central and northwest extension phase 2 projects. Um we would look to continue those projects and hopefully even increase and make it a more robust uh program understanding that it was a pilot program. Um we wanted to make sure that we were able to have something that was almost like a litmus test to us to see how well will this be received. Um it does require certain requirements in order for people to participate and businesses to take ownership. We would need for mayor and council to look and review um those requirements and staff would be looking to give recommendation. This is something that we plan to do for all of our light rail projects as well as working with the businesses on our a myriad of technical um opportunities that we provide. um things of financing, accounting, um advertising, web design, um legal services, um helping negotiate leases and things of that nature because we understand that some of these things are even outside of what we can traditionally would call um business assistance is really helping them negotiate leases and things of that nature that could have long-term impacts on those businesses ability to be successful. Well, as you know, I for me, small business are are but small sorry, I'm very tired now. Small businesses are very important to me um during co you know, this council allocated money into economic development to help the businesses um during very difficult times. So, with the with the help of of a lot of you, we were able to help a lot of the small businesses thrive. at the airport, we've done the same thing where we've brought in a lot of small businesses and you know, I'm very hands-on and I am definitely if the Indian school line passes, I will definitely hold you guys accountable to making sure that we're helping the small businesses. Um, I think we all love our small businesses in the neighborhoods. Uh, we've seen what's happened in other places and I appreciate um all the work that you guys have done to learn from our mistakes and trying to get better at this. I'm hearing what all the businesses are saying. So my next question to you is when can staff start their outreach to the businesses on this corridor if this were to pass? >> So if council were to recommend option two and further give detail to advance the west Phoenix alignment um we would start that engagement immediately. Um in preparation of the things that we've been talking through and working through we've already been engaging with some of the businesses Long Indian School. We are hopeful to have a business focus meeting within the next month with those businesses along Indian School. That is with or without council taking action um to advance that alignment. We understand that this was something that we we acknowledge is a concern with those businesses along that corridor and we want to make sure that those voices are heard. >> Thank you. Thank you so much for that. And talking just a little bit of equity. Um some folks mentioned equity. How does prioritizing Indian school road light rail address equity considerations particularly for transit dependent communities in Mville and West Phoenix? >> So um how I would respond to that is addressing equity is that our Mville area in West Phoenix um West Phoenix and Mville more specifically is one of our fastest growing um areas that we have in the city of Phoenix. We have a large transit dependent uh community there. Um, if you look at our Indian School, Thomas and McDow bus routes, those are some of our highest writership routes that we have in the region, not just in Phoenix, in our entire region, eastwest routes. Um, and so by providing a highcapacity transit that has more capacity um along that that corridor and along that area of West Phoenix. Um I think that really addresses the ability to have them connect into the rest of the system so they can reach places to work, worship, um education and also doctor's appointments and you know life needs that they have. >> Yeah. I mean, I think like for me, um, given the incidents, um, that have happened in West Phoenix, particularly at Mville High School, um, we've had a couple of incidents, um, that we were all very impacted by, and hearing the testimony of the students that were here with us today and pleading us on making sure that we can bring light rail down Indian School for their for their friends and their families um, to be able to have um, accessibility um, to downtown Phoenix. um because right now they just don't feel that that's there for them. So I am hopeful um that you guys will continue to work with community, continue to work with students as we continue to move forward with this and I I'm really appreciative of all the work that you guys have done. And I think it's no um it's not a secret um that I am a very labor friendly person um and that I'm always looking at whatever it is that we do. How is it that we make sure that these are good jobs? So what is it that we do um to move forward with that? So my next question is is for you Jessica. What tools do we currently have to encourage or require union labor apprenticeship participation in local hiring on major light rail projects? >> Thank you, Mayor, Vice Mayor, Council Member Gado, and council. Uh with each project, this is typically at the time that we are uh releasing a request for proposals for construction services. to actually build the project. And uh typically what we've done and what we did in the South Central Extension was we asked proposers to develop a workforce development plan and include that in their construction proposal. So in our most recent expansion uh we worked with UIT who also uh worked with Kunichlo uh they developed a workforce development program focused on uh the specific needs uh to that area and to the project. For example, they were focused on replacing aging uh crafts workforce, engaging more younger people who are traditionally these days less interested in construction and trades careers even though they're fantastic careers. Uh also uh working to create new skills. So looking for job looking for careers, not jobs was one of the goals. There are a couple of other goals in that program. But in the end, let's fast forward. That was the plan in the end in almost all areas. uh they met or far exceeded their goals for uh workforce participation including uh minority participation and participation from the local zip codes around that project. That was a specific goal that was important to the community and I think there's really something to uh returning to the source of the funding and some of the disruption frankly uh the economic benefits of the construction itself. So, it's just an example of some of those workforce strategies, but again, these goals will be defined at the time um uh construction services are procured. Great. And a follow-up question to that, how would those workforce strategies be applied specifically to the Indian school road line light rail line if it prioritized under option two? >> Uh thank you, mayor, council member. So, I think for any um soon to build construction projects, we're facing some of the same challenges and needing to replace craft people in our workforce, needing to recruit and engage younger people. Again, I would go back to really prioritizing hires. Um this project did it by zip code, also by demographic characteristics. Um the one of the areas that we didn't hit our goal was a participation of women in um skilled trades roles. So, I think that's something that might need greater emphasis in uh future projects, but again, really focusing on what matters most to the community where you're building it. >> Thank you. And my last question, um if council adopts option two, when can we expect staff to return with an with updated schedules, funding strategies, and community engagement plans is specific to Indian School Road? I guess this is more for Marcus. Thank you, uh, mayor and councel. Uh, staff would be looking to come back to this, uh, full council in the fall. Um, I couldn't give you more detailed information to that just due to the number of next steps that we would have to take, but we will be looking to come back in the fall. >> Thank you for that. So, thank you guys so much um for answering all of our questions. I know that we've been here late. Um, but today's decision is about where we choose to lead with our light rail investments and who we choose to lead with. Mville is the youngest village in the city of Phoenix and it is home to one of the largest concentrations of Latino families in our city and I have the honor of representing 55% of that village. It's a community defined by young families, workers, and small businesses, many of whom rely on transit every day. For too long, Mville and West Phoenix have had the longest commutes, the fewest high-capacity transit options, and the greatest reliance on bus routes. Indian school road is one of the most heavily used east west corridors in my district. And the message is clear. People are already riding there. That's why I support option two, which gives us the opportunity to prioritize the Indian school road light rail line with a goal of 2036 revenue service. This is not about removing projects. It's about sequencing them responsibly. The capital extension project continues to face significant external challenges, including opposition expressed by members of the state legislature and unresolved state land acquisitions issues in an election year. Those factors affect delivery and certainty and they matter when we're responsible for public dollars. Any school role, by contrast, is ready and is transformational. Advancing light there creates gateway to the west valley and signals long-term confidence in Marville's future. For small businesses along the corridor, light rail means visibility, customers, and per and performances. And for those worried about construction impacts, I want to be clear. The city learned hard lessons during early light rail light rail builds. Best practices and mitigation strategies are now in place and Indian school roads much wider roadway makes it far less likely to experience the traffic and access challenges seen on narrow road streets. I also want to address concerns about union jobs. As the only council member who has been a union member and a long-term union leader, I am personally committed to ensuring that as many jobs as possible tied to this project are union jobs. And this council has a history of protecting union jobs. Projects that move forward create real stable work and this project is positioned to do exactly that. Light rail on Indian school means shorter commutes, better access to opportunity, stronger small businesses, and real investment in the west side communities. Option two delivers equity, readiness, and accountability for Mville and for West Phoenix and for the families who depend on this corridor every day. And this is the right choice. I have walked I have walked the doors. I have talked to the neighbors. I have spoken to the students um just in Mville, we collected over 4,000 surveys that said that they want to see Indian school moving forward. We heard from students um this afternoon that talked about that they don't have access to downtown, right? That their wings are being cut because of not being able to have access to light rail. Um, and they were here. They spoke. We've listened to them. We've listened to our residents. And with that, mayor, I move that the city council adopt option two, directing staff to prioritize the Indian school road light rail line as the city's next major light rail investment with a goal of meeting the proposed 2036 revenue service date for that corridor and to rep prioritize the capital extension library project accordingly within transit planning, capital programming and funding schedules. I'm going to second it for discussion. Thank you so much. As many people in this room know, light rail and public transportation are very important to me and hold a special place in my heart. I know how important it is to people's lives. When a medical issue prevented me from driving, I took public transit to get around. I know how many people are able to get to better paying jobs or school because of public transit. and I've seen how it can open worlds of opportunities to those who are unable to drive. It's why I've been such a proponent of light rail since I was first elected to city council. I was proud to chair the Proposition 104 campaign to triple the light rail and in my first year as mayor to defeat a campaign to kill light rail. Before my time of mayor as mayor is up, I want to make sure that light rail is on track to serve West Phoenix. It's one of my most important goals. For many years, I've worked to make the capital extension a reality. When stakeholder meetings went off the rails, my team and I stepped in to address concerns and find solutions. But every time we clear one hurdle, another pops up. With the state legislaturator's ability to block a station that makes this line viable, it's important we consider what's best for our city and for the future of light rail. Federal funding is a real question with this administration. We do not have a final grant agreement. We have only one viable option in front of us, but an exciting one, a historic one. To accelerate light rail in one of the most deserving parts of our city, the heart of Mville. This community is brimming with opportunity. Expanding into the heart of Mville means expanding opportunity for a part of our city that deserves it so deeply. New jobs, new housing, thriving businesses. The people of Mville deserve the same benefits that have helped other parts of our city and the valley. They have waited for too long. Mville High School has helped us produce so many of the leaders of the city, including police chief, fire chief. It would be so exciting to be able to give back and deliver this project for them. When that young woman was talking, it just felt so cool to be able to accelerate and deliver for her. The city council has passed an ambitious map that has light rail both going towards the capitol and going to the heart of mid of Mville with our voters approval multiple time. We're going to build multiple extensions. We have changed the timeline and priority many times before. I was very proud to join with my colleagues to significantly move up the South Central light rail extension. And now I'm excited to move forward and vote to move up this heart of Mville getting light rail. Councilwoman O'Brien. >> Thank you, Mayor. The city council is considering how best to expand light rail in a way that serves Phoenix's needs responsibly and effectively. One option, the capital extension would place light rail near the state capital. And while I support public access to government, history shows that what happens when we pursue this alignment deci despite legislative op opposition. In 2023, lawmakers held Proposition 479 hostage until Governor Hobbes agreed to ban the original capex extension. Today, multiple bills at the Capitol aim to kill light rail near the Capitol and block state agencies from partnering with the city on future light rail construction needs. Beyond politics, we face financial uncertainty. Federal funding for CAPEX has not been awarded and counting on hundreds of millions of dollars now would be fiscally irresponsible. While we continue to face barriers for capex, I request staff evaluate bus rapid transit to connect the existing capex with downtown transit hubs. Additionally, we cannot ignore the need for transit in West Phoenix. Residents deserve fast, reliable transportation that connects them to jobs, education, and health care. And that's why I support rep re rep prioritizing the west Phoenix routes and extending light rail along Indian school road the locally preferred alternative approved by council in May of 2024. This road route builds on completed planning work aligns with community priorities and avoids legislative roadblocks. It's practical, achievable, and continues work we've already started. Light rail just is isn't just about mobility. It's an economic engine. A few months ago, in economic development and the arts subcommittee, um, as well as this evening, we heard from Valley Metro and our own economic development department that the existing light rail system has generated a 20 billion return on investment, driving development, revitali, revitalization along the corridor. In my district alone, thanks to light rail, we have what is now a nearly a billion dollar investment in redeveloping the old Metro Center Mall into Metropolitan. Expanding along Indian School will continue that trend, benefiting communities most in need of reinvestment. The decision before us is about common sense and physical fiscal responsibility. I can't support spending years and millions pursuing capex at this time when all signs point to legislative obstruction. Rep prioritizing the Indian school road extension is a smart choice for Phoenix. It's time to deliver transit where it's when it's needed and where it's needed through route we can actually build. Thank you, Mayor. >> Thank you, Councilwoman Hernandez. >> Thank you, Mayor. I just have some questions for staff. Um, but before I start my questions, I would actually just throw it out there that if the city of Phoenix truly cared about the west side and the south side, the extensions would have started on the west side and the south side because this council has the authority and has had the authority in the past to determine the order of extensions created under the light rail. Uh, but I won't digress that point, but I will move on to some questions for staff. Um, I want to ask questions of economic development, planning and development. Um, Marcus and Jessica, y'all hang tight because I have some questions for you as well. Um, and I'll have some questions for government relations. I will start with economic development. Thank you, Ryan. Um, just have a couple questions. Um, what land, if any, does a city own in the capital area? Mayor, Vice Mayor, members of council. Um when we looked at today just around the Capitol Mall area specifically, um we found that we own 16 parcels of land um in that in that area. Um the vast majority of that uh is parkland or memorial space. Um Carnegie the Carnegie building for example. Um and so so most of that is not what we would call developable land. We do have um three parcels at 7th and Washington Street which we 7th Avenue, excuse me, and Washington Street which um are slated to go up for RFP and out for bid um this year. Um so that would be probably the best development opportunity we have in that area. >> Okay, thank you. And thanks for mentioning Carnegie. Um I actually have been engaged with the neighbors there and they have um thoughts and questions around how can we reactivate that space and in those conversations capex has been a piece of those conversations. So um I'm hoping that you know as we weigh this option we're able to deliver for those residents. Um uh I think that's all my questions for you. Um planning Josh uh you and I have been working and talking about an overlay for the capital area. sort of transit oriented communities overlay. Um can you shed or just share a few highlights of what we've discussed in those in that vision and idea that we're working on? >> Mayor and members of the council as part of a potential implementation strategy for the capital TOC plan. What staff has uh developed is a regulatory framework, an opt-in regulatory framework similar to the walkable urban code and the downtown code that would provide opportunities for mixeduse development incentives for affordable housing in exchange for additional height and density allowances. >> Thank you. And that um the policy framework that you are referring to does that um what possibilities exist for us to extend housing in the capital district? Mayor, members of the council, one of the the primary tenants of the the framework would allow for additional heights and again other other development standard allowances in exchange for the provision of housing and changing out some of the existing zoning which is more industrial for zoning that would allow for more housing and mixed use. >> Okay. Thank you. And I know um you know the Woodland historic neighbor the historic neighbors neighbors uh have spoken in support of CAPEX originally you know earlier they had concerns about some of the routes um and as they they've also asked about where are we with this TOC overlay um is there like would Woodland be threatened with the with the um if we continue with the development of the cap capex light rail um in relation to the TOC Silverly, >> mayor, members of the council, one of the one of the components of the policy plan of all TOC policy plans is the identification of areas of growth, protection, uh, and redevelopment. Uh, generally speaking, and and I believe that's the case in this instance, our historic districts or our single family neighborhoods are designated as areas of protection, and any regulatory framework that would be put in place would be to to address that. And so any incentives for heightened density would would not be on the historic districts. >> Okay. Thank you. And I really truly believe that continuing with CAPEX would bring the greatest opportunity in conjunction with this TOC overlay that um this area so very needs for the revitalization in the in really what this ne what these neighborhoods deserve. So just thank you so much. I think those are all my questions for you all. um would like to move to some questions um around capex and the viability point because I think that is a concern that has come up. Um, but I would I think I want to clarify first that for the audience and those watching and the folks in the room, my understanding is if we continue with option one um and we if nothing changed, right, if we weren't having this vote or even if we continue with option one, the current plan says we would go to capex that would be uh in service by 2029. We continue with the 10 West extension and then we uh do the West Phoenix LPA which essentially means that by 2042 we would deliver on two lines um into the West Valley. >> Mayor, members of the council, that is correct. >> Okay. Thank you. Um want to talk about a little bit about the viability. Uh specifically, let's talk about city money. I know that there's concerns. You know, we've talked about federal money and federal funding and all the things. Um the Can we touch or just refresh me on prop on T2050 and Prop 400 and how does the city use that money to pay for light rail? >> Yes, mayor, members of the council. Um the Prop 400, I'll start with that is a regional um sales tax that has been collected um since uh 2004 when u it was voted and approved. um that sales tax um provides for bus service as well as rail service. We utilize that as part of our local match when um implementing these type of light rail extension and light rail construction infrastructure projects. Um the T2 T2050 I'm sorry it's been a been a day. Um the T2050 um is our local sales tax um that we utilize for as well bus and uh rail service. Um there's several things from the capital side and operational side that we utilize T2050 for on the bus. Um for the rail side, we only use utilize the T2050 um for operations and for the local match for our CDIG program. >> Okay. Thank you. And want to pivot over a little bit to 479 monies. Um what impact did that have on our funding? Um 479 is the extension of the regional sales tax which um allow which has a requirement or stipulation um that we can no longer utilize regional funding for the expansion of light rail. We can only use utilize that regional funding um for the state of good repair and for maintenance of light rail existing system. However, that's prop 479. um the way that it was structured, it was structured in a way that it would offset the local funding that was needed through a T2050 program to support light rail expansions. >> Okay. Thank you. Um and I think what I'm hearing is that that this means that Phoenix gets a share of uh 479 money that is large enough to offset other transportation projects which frees up money for light row. >> That is correct >> the way that I understand it. So the the the public will understand it. Okay. Um my next question is do we have enough funding to exit project development, start over completely on another option, build and finish that option and then c come back to capex. >> Um what I would say is um currently as you stated earlier those three alignments are in our current perform. Um however, if we were to shift the order of these projects and rep prioritize the order as what has been discussed today, um we would need to do a financial evaluation of that um to make sure that the program could withstand that. Um if all project costs were to stay stagnant and stay what they are today, yes, we know that we could move forward with that. However, as projects are rep prioritized, there are different mitigating factors to those. some being escalation of year of expenditure and things of that nature that would have to be considered um in order to make sure that um we could really um bring all three of those projects to fruition. >> Okay. Thank you. So I think what I'm hearing is that option two is not what I my interpretation would be to the audience is that option two is in fact not the most fiscally responsible or viable option to continue in this. Um but I I guess what I'm hearing is that we have the funds available but without federal grants to supplement our spending um we unknowns right to continue projects um and if any of the conditions shift on rep prioritizing projects um which they very likely will over the next 15 years we may not have enough money to complete those projects. >> Yes. Um right now our performer is set to with a certain amount of assumption for federal funding and federal participation for these projects in order for us to deliver on all the programs um of their T2050 program. If for some reason um we were unsuccessful in gaining federal funding um or getting that same level of federal funding that we've assumed, we would have to go back and rerun that performer to make sure it could handle that shortage of um of funding that we projected. Okay, thank you so much. Um, and I just want to re-emphasize like the timeline and the first question I asked is that if we stay in the current plan which is capex I10 project development um when will the I mentioned that and I think you already confirmed this that capex would be done in service inservice revenue service uh by 2029. Yes, current the way the current schedule is set, um we would be in revenue service by 2029 if council were to select option 16 north or 16 south. Um we would be looking at a 2032 date if council were to select um 7th Avenue North. >> Okay. And uh and when will the I 10 section into Maraveville be done? >> I mean revenue service. The IT 10 section currently is scheduled to be into revenue service in 2034. >> Okay. And if we were to continue with project development as is and we continue with the West Phoenix LPA as currently scheduled, uh when do we anticipate that that line would be in revenue service? >> The West Phoenix line as currently scheduled would be into revenue service in 2041 2042 time frame. >> Okay. So once again on this path, which is the current path, Mville could very likely have two access points to light rail by 2041, which means revenue service by 2041. >> That is correct. >> Okay. And if we exit and re re-evaluate, Mville would have one line as early as 2037 if all conditions if the stars align. >> That is correct. >> Okay. Thank you. Um, want to shift over some questions to Valley Metro. Okay. So, um, my first question, Jessica, either you or Trevor, whoever wants to take this one. What is the opportunity in front of us with capex? um really asking from a writership and connectivity point. >> Uh thank you mayor uh council member Hernandez, members of the council. So the projected writership for capital extension for those three options uh that we shared with you this evening is 2300 to 2400 passengers per day. Uh in terms of connectivity to this system, the way capital extension was envisioned when we opened South Central, as I like to say it, originally our system was an L going from, you know, Mesa and Maine in the east uh to downtown and then further north the south central became a T. Now we have a north south line, we call that the B line and an east west line, we call that the A line. Capital extension would push that A line uh further west of the B line. So that T then becomes an X and then poises the system for further westward expansion. I want to mention we're a multimodal system and with any introduction of a new service like light rail, uh we also must explore associated modifications to our bus network because our customers do travel by both bus and rail. Okay. >> Thank you. Um my next question for you, do we have projections or do you have projections of writership along other routes in Mville um such as Thomas or Indian School or Camelback? Uh mayor, council member Hernandez, we have preliminary writership figures when we did the alternatives analysis that established West Phoenix, the West Phoenix locally preferred alternative on Indian school. Uh the estimate at that time was 14 to 16,000 uh writers per day. >> Okay. Thank you. And you know as we talk about the future um do you you do you believe that those numbers um can support both the I10 extension and the west Phoenix um locally preferred option? >> Yes, I think both the corridors uh have shown the potential for very strong wrership um independent of themselves independent of the other. >> Okay. Thank you. Um, want to pivot over to federal funding a bit. Um, what and I know there was a lot of commentary from the public around concerns about the impact or how we could be impacted by federal funding if we exit project development. Um, what happens to cities that exit and try to re-enter or is there any examples of other cities that have chosen that route? >> Thank you, Mayor, Council Member Hernandez. And I want to correct earlier I misspoke and stated that we are assuming 37% federal participation in capex has 39% federal participation which is the same level of participation we've had in the last two projects. To your question council member what typically happens when projects exit project development. Uh usually when projects exit in project development is for one of a couple of reasons. One is uh political will. there's not the will to deliver the project or uh the environment has changed in that local community. And then the other region the other reason is that um the project sponsor is considering a major change to the project. Uh this occurred recently uh with our peers in um San Jose VTA. They did exit project development. they fundamentally changed the design um that they were planning to use and then they re-entered uh and completed project development. For those projects where the local landscape changes, we don't typically see them uh re-entering project development. I I'm I'm struggling to think of any without a major uh rework. Our colleagues in Austin are in project development right now. They've had a number of fits and starts with their project called Project Connect. uh most notably is originally a um subsurface or a tunnled system uh and now they've reworked that to become an appgrade system. >> Okay, thank you so much. And are we is Phoenix competing with any other cities for that in that FTA funding pipeline? always there there is always competition for capital investment grants and uh I think this is in part why FTA publishes an annual ratings as they did in November of 2025 with the current ratings of the projects that are in the pipeline so that they can provide feedback to project sponsors and also to signal to appropriators in Congress these are the projects that might be coming uh to you for funding consideration and appropriation. >> Okay, thank you. Um, and on that note, um, has Valley Metro heard about this current administration cancelling FTA grants to liberal run cities? >> We haven't seen it, and I can speak from my experience and the industry experience that I'm aware of. We haven't seen grants uh, just cancelled based on the city of origin. What we have seen a little bit of is cancelling grants based on the program uh that they're applying for. Um for example, Valley Metro was notified we would receive an award in FY20 federal um FY23 for lower no emissions buses. We applied for no emissions buses. We'll now have to change our propulsion system uh to go with CG to get that grant. Now, that being said, also just this past fall, we did receive notification that we will receive an award for, I believe, $18.2 million uh for a low uh emission grant, which we'll be using to purchase uh CNG vehicles. So, I say that to say we're not seeing cities cut off from the program. Uh it really is more defining um priorities of the administration. We have had the opportunity to meet uh with this administration. and um City of Phoenix and I met with the administration back in uh September of 2025 to ensure this project is on their radar and know that it's coming down the pipeline. No guarantees of funding are ever made until a project actually completes um an application process. >> Okay. Thank you. And have we done any light rail projects under um the Trump administration? This would be our first application under the Trump second administration. The capital investment grant for Arkansas Central Extension was an award that was made during the first Trump administration. >> Okay. Thank you. Um and what is our relationship currently with the FTA? Our relationship with FTA is very strong and I would say it is very strong not only because of the collaboration and partnerships because we have successfully completed five capital investment grant funded projects all of them ahead of schedule and at or near budget. Uh and that is very compelling because unfortunately that's not the case uh for all projects um because our program is large and we have been building multiple projects concurrently. There was a moment in time recently we were conducting the uh constructing Tempy street car northwest extension phase 2 southwest south central extension and our operations and maintenance center expansion. So four federally funded projects. Um so FTA actually has staff embedded here in Phoenix to support our program. >> Okay. Thank you. Um and if we exit project development, what would we see an impact to our application score or to that relationship with FTA? I don't know the answer to that. >> Thank you. Um, I think my next question you might not have the answer to, but I'm asking anyways. How will that compromise how will that compromise our future ability to get federal funding? >> Thank you, mayor, council member. I don't know the answer to that. >> Okay. Thank you. And if we exit project development, um, how much money has been spent that we will miss out on being able to submit for reimbursement? rough numbers. I think in the last uh three years when we really sorry mayor and council member in the last three years when we really capitalized the project or hired um you know final design team and and contractor I think it's in the range of around 20 to 25 million. >> Okay. Thank you. Um I want to ask some questions as the Indian school op the Indian school line has really surfaced um over the span of this afternoon. Um my first question is what in the process do we actually have for Indian school for the Indian school line? Like what has the city completed to date? >> Members of the council, could you repeat that question? from S on that and >> yeah like in the process what has the city actually completed to date on the west Phoenix LPA which is the Indian school identified line. >> So um what we've done is very preliminary um work. This is just alternative analysis that has been completed that's really um looking at a very high level of just identifying a route. we haven't done um beyond that I would say this is probably less than a 5% design plan um if that um we still have considerable amount of work that would need to be done in order to advance that you know environmental work that would need to be done as well as continued community engagement piece of it. Um and then as we advance that design and develop that rough order of magnitude which is the estimate and continue to move forward. This is the same as the process that we have for all of our light rail projects. >> Okay. Thank you. And on the community engagement piece along this corridor, um I think it might have been asked and said, but I can't remember. How long will that take? >> I will refer to Valley Metro to respond. >> Thank you, Mayor, uh Council Member Hernandez, members of the council. To clarify, are you asking community engagement on uh Indian School West Phoenix corridor? >> Sorry. Yes. I'm asking for how long would the community engagement piece the deep dive, right? Not the preliminary um broader outreach the >> the community engagement piece um how long would that take along the West Phoenix LPA which is currently the Indian school line? >> Thank you, council member. Uh the community engagement is iterative as you've seen with capital extension. We have proposed an alignment. We've received stakeholder feedback and depending on that stakeholder feedback, we've gone back now a couple of times also with the um addition of Senate Bill 112, we had to go back for another phase. At this time we have a program for two to three years and that is community engagement but it is also pre-esign work because we've got to be engaging with the community at the same time we are on planning and design because you have to give the community at some point something to respond to and to weigh in on. >> Okay. Thank you. Um, and what is the realistic timeline for us to have an the the West Phoenix LPA, the current West Phoenix, sorry, scratch that. What is the realistic timeline if we go to option two to have that Indian school line up uh in revenue service? >> Yeah, Mayor, Council Member Hernandez, I I think what we're projecting right now is around 2037. Um, as Marcus uh mentioned in his remarks, we've been in discussions about if we were to expedite it, you know, what could be done and and there's a potential maybe to shave a year off of that. But that again, there's a lot of assumptions that go into us putting dates out this early and and by and large that assumes a very smooth process um both federally, both locally, politics etc. >> Okay. Thank you. I I appreciate the the very candid answer. So 2037 we could possibly have one line 2042 two lines. Okay. Thanks. Um have we communicated to the FTA that we are exploring Indian school as or option two to move up the West Phoenix LP uh LPA Indian school. >> Thank you mayor. Um members of the council we have not communicated that to FTA. FTA is aware uh that this council and mayor are contemplating uh whether or not to advance uh capital extension through project development. Uh the West Phoenix corridor is not currently in any federal process right now. Uh so this would be something that we would discuss informally typically at a quarterly meeting. >> Okay. Thank you so much. Um and earlier there was a little bit of back and forth about the community engagement that has been done at Long Indian School. Um, you know, the businesses spoke their piece and um, community members also shared their their concerns. Is it an accurate repeat back of what you said that Valley Metro has not engaged residents and businesses along Indian School since 2024? >> Thank you, Mayor, members of the council. Uh the engagement since 2024 has really been focused on capital extension. Uh the community engagement that occurred in 2022 to 2024 again was over that broad geography uh that was covered by the West Phoenix alternatives analysis. That being said, uh we have conducted public meetings throughout the service area and including in Maryville and so there has been some discussion about uh a West Phoenix alternative. Although I want to be clear, the meeting materials which were approved in November, it was just on the eve of the first public meeting which I believe was November 13th, have remained unchanged throughout the community engagement process. >> Okay. Thank you so much. I think that's all my questions for you. Um I have some questions for government relations and then I'll have some questions for streets after that actually. Thank you so much. Um my first question is what conversations have you had with the JBC um leaders? So, the JBC is a joint legislative budget committee. Um, that has been referenced was referenced earlier in in some commentary. Mayor, council member, I'm going to have Eric Ginho who worked with Marcus and did uh the um run through of all the stakeholder meetings with the JBC members and others. >> Mayor, Councilwoman Hernandez, council, um uh I can go through the list of the meetings that we had on November 18th. We met with uh State Representative Livingston on November 13, 2025. We met with State Senator Kavanaaugh. Uh November 6, 2025, we met with State Senator Farnsworth. And on August 18th, 2025, State Senator Farnsworth again. And on June 16th, 2025, met with Sen State Representative David Livingston. >> Okay. Thank you. Um, I actually took it upon myself to go down to the capital and talk to these members since they have been the ones really leading the conversations. Um, so I want to provide the audience a little bit of an update from my end that um, I did meet with uh, Senator uh, Senator Kavanagh, Senator Farnsworth, and Representative Livingston. And really in those conversations it was reaffirmed that while they typically don't support light rail um the letter that they sent that 16th Avenue South is the least objectable um that remained. So in our we I have some very good conversations with them um because I do also agree with something that was said earlier. Sometimes it takes leader to leader to go talk to them to really understand where they're at. Um and you know in that conversations they were very robust. They shared their concerns. Um right but I think that they really appreciated that elected leaders went down to to talk to them directly. Um so my next question is uh where do you think um those uh rep legislators stand on um the Indian school route or have they relayed any of that information to you? Um and I mean from option two now becoming an item. >> Yes, Mayor uh Councilwoman Hernandez. Um there have been several bills introduced related to light rail this session. uh one by Senator Kavanaaugh that does prohibit the state from uh participating in any authorization for light rail construction which uh would impact uh both the Indian school route and the capital extension I 10 west route. Um we haven't received anything definitive from him uh expressing opposition to the Indian school route or expressed support for the 16th south route. >> Okay, thank you. Um, I did hear that some of the business owners that might be in attendance today um, did reach out to him to have those conversations and make their case of their concerns on moving up this line. So, just wanted to share that. Um and I in my last meeting with with uh Representative Livingston, um it was a little interesting that he had not heard of option two and well previously he recently I met with him yesterday and um he heard of us looking at the city of Phoenix looking to approve and move up option two meaning moving up Indian school. Um and what he said is that uh about this idea is that would be very dangerous to try to go around the legislature avoiding us and bypassing us as the worst option. Um he stands by the he did mention the letter that the speaker and the president um sent and said that they do support that. he again right 16th Avenue South is the least objectable um but that they would be willing like I think we're going to see further action from the legislature um by moving option two up um but just wanted to kind of share that with you all um and you know I know I've the governor from the letter sorry because it's all so late the letter from the governor and we've heard some this be brought up a little But I want to highlight a couple of things that was in the letter from the governor's budget office. Um that capex is likely to have an economic impact. And I read this because it wasn't included in the um posted agenda. And I know we got this letter on Friday, but I wanted to make sure I just highlight a couple pieces. um that capex is likely to have an economic impact of more than4 billion dollars generating more than 14,000 permanent jobs and hundreds of millions in tax revenue um every 10 years. Uh another piece of this that was highlight that they shared uh was that capex will also increase affordable housing in the near term. The government the government mall includes numer numerous parcels owned by the state that are available for housing development now and are made much more economically feasible due to the proximity to the light rail. These are the units that will be near the downtown core colllocated with or near human services and could be accessible for working families that are struggling with severe housing cost burdens. Um, strategically driving development in the government mall would also bring vital revenue to the state, which could fund services for Arizona's working families. As an immediate step, the governor's fiscal year 2027 budget proposes a sale of nine properties in and around the government mall totaling more than 11 acres. Um, parcels near Cap X could also include street level activation that will bolster the prosperity of the area and extend the vitality that has returned to downtown Phoenix in recent years. This potential is huge. The initial 20 mile light rail extension that opened in 2008 was a major catalyst for economic growth in the center of Phoenix, Mesa, and Tempb. It attracted investment and new businesses and also helped secure major events like the Super Bowl and the NCAA Final Four. Capex will be no different by simply proceeding with this long planned extension. You will realize the dormant potential of this area and it will happen quickly. Another immediate benefit of capex is the creation of many jobs that will be required to construct the extension. These are well compensated positions for which workers of the city have been preparing for years. We can increase the prosperity of Phoenix workers now rather than waiting on alternative alignment that will not employ Phoenicians if at all until an uncertain date in the near in the future. Um the part that really caught my um interest because I agree with this interpretation is that further the council's decision should not be made based on fear that proceeding with capex will result in prohibitive state legislation. Governor Hobbes has demonstrated time and again that she will not allow legislators from districts that have no light rail presence whatsoever to frustrate the voters's will for light rail to extend to the capital. Um, and there is no reason to believe she would change her course. Now, um, sorry, I want to jump back to the ARS because that I think has been my understanding a big concern of why we are now talking about option two. And um the letter says that uh in the TIP subcommittee meeting on December 17, 2025, multiple staff and council comments suggested that ARS41-791.02K requires the joint legislative budget committee's approval of light rail stops location within the government mall. That is simply not accurate. ARS 41 41-791.02K O2K requires only that the director of the Arizona Department of Administration submit any contract or agreement regarding the placement of a light rail station in the government mall um to JLBC for approval. Even assuming that this provision complies with the Arizona Constitution, no contract or agreement with ADOA is required in order to place a station in or near the government mall. For instance, ADOA already possesses all requisite authority. The South stateowned parcels in or near the government mall to the city of Phoenix or Valley Metro. After such a sale was complete, the city or valley metro would be free to use such parcels as it saw fit without any need for JLBC approval. Um so I just found that very interesting and was curious why um that wasn't in the packet. So I wanted to make sure I highlight those items. Um, but I think that's all the questions I have for Actually no. Yes, that was all my questions I had for for you. Um, I have a few questions for streets. Good evening, uh, mayor, members of the council, Councilwoman Hernandez. >> Thank you. Um, thank you, Briana. And, uh, just have a couple questions because it was in the presentation, um, revisioning Indian School, and as you know, I have a small section of Indian School, um, that is slated for this project. Uh, can you just remind us, refresh us because I know people have been tuning in for a long time. Um, what is Revisioning Indian School? >> Uh, yes. Revisioning Indian School is a safety improvement project along Indian School Road from 39th Avenue to 91st Avenue. Um we did receive a grant award um from the US Department of Transportation from the Safe Streets and Roads for All. Um it was a grant award of approximately 25 million. >> Okay. And that project is slated to start and be completed when? >> Uh so we've initiated design um in uh August of 2025. The design is going to take approximately 2 years through the summer of 2027. Uh we anticipate starting construction in 2028 with a three-year timeline. So construction should be complete uh sometime in 2031. >> Okay. Thank you. Um I mean I'm pretty excited for that project and I think a lot of people would be. But is there what have you heard from the community um in support of this revisioning Indian school project? Uh so we will be initiating our first uh community engagement meeting in uh spring um of this year. Um but with the announcement of the award um we have um seen a lot of uh public support for this project. >> Okay. Thank you. Um what will be the impact on revision Indian school if the light rail development moves um to Indian school um through option two? So the impact would really depend on the timing of uh the light rail on Indian school and so I don't think we know um exactly what the impacts are today and it's something that uh streets and uh valley metro would need to get together and coordinate to determine what the impacts are. >> Okay, thank you. Um and would so do we know if we're going to if we might see any delays >> yet? Um, we're unsure of if we would see any delays at this point, but there could be a delay of those improvements specifically on the section from 39th Avenue to 75th Avenue. >> Okay. Thank you. Um, and will funding be compromised? >> We're unsure today if funding um would be compromised. Um, again, it would have to be coordination with Valley Metro and then with our FHWA partners. >> Okay. And will what will be required to merge the revisioning Indian school project and a potential accelerated Indian school route? >> Uh so we would have to coordinate with Valley Metro on um if option two is selected on what their uh schedule would look like and look at our schedule and then we'd have to coordinate that with both uh FHWA and FTA. >> Okay. Thank you so much for that. Um really I think that's all my questions and really just want to thank Valley Metro and the city of Phoenix light road department and everybody that has asked all the questions. Um over the last three months you have been so supportive and answered all of my questions even if they were repeat questions all the time. Um, and I recognize I really want to make sure I am clear that I recognize all the hard work that you have all done and all the hours that your teams have um already poured into the cap capex um it 10 extension and really thank you for all to all the departments that answered um all of my questions today. To the residents, businesses and stakeholders that turned out today and have sent emails and support over these last few weeks. Thank you so much for your participation in this process. um to my residents in district 7 um in the capitol area and along the 10 this light rail extension has faced so many unneeded barriers um and it is your neighborhoods that will be the most impacted by this light rail. I'm so honored to have met with you all over the last three months um and grateful that we've gotten to know each other even better and please know that I have fought for you and I hope that I have done all of you proud. Um, fellow council members and residents want us to move forward. Um, 79% of the Capitol area residents want the capital area to continue, the capital extension to continue. Voters approved this project. Taxpayers have already paid into it. This was promised to the community and as a council, we have a responsibility to honor that promise. That is also very This is also very clear an equity issue. Um, time and time again, black and brown communities on the west side, communities that are already underresourced and the first to be cut off from essential infrastructure investments are the first to be cut off from um essential infrastructure investments. Transit is not a luxury. It is access to jobs, to education, to health care, and to opportunity. When we delay or downgrade transit in these neighborhoods, we are making a choice about who deserves reliable mobility and safety and who does not. Um, and we have been here before. In 2019, uh, council voted down the Camelback light rail line and Mville lost access to light rail. Then we cannot allow history to repeat itself. Uh, which leads me to a quote from President George W. Bush. There's an old saying in Tennessee. I know it's here in Texas. It's probably in Tennessee. Fool me once, shame on shame on you. If you get fooled, you can't get fooled again. As we move forward, we must also enshrine commitments to strong and enforcable anti-displacement measures so that the people who have sustained these neighborhoods are not pushed out by the very improvements they were promised. Equity is not just about building the infrastructure. It is also about ensuring communities can remain intact, benefit, and they can thrive. Um, let me be clear. I am supportive. I am in support of proceeding with a cap the capex line along 16th Avenue South. This alignment gets us through CAPEX and into Mville and it is the responsible and accountable path forward. Um staying in project development and move moving forward with CAPEX is the only guaranteed route into Mville. It is the only LRO project in design and development. Abandoning this route in pursuit of an Indian school line is built on pure speculation. It has no design, no guaranteed funding and already has significant risk and threat from the legislature. Exiting and re-evaluating will kill light rail in Phoenix whether we want to own it own that or not. So I would say we need to stay on this path. Um and I have heard from heard the voices of Marville residents who hope to get a central Mville line. Mville residents lost that light roll in 2019 already and I understand the hunger to get light back. We cannot ignore these residents. That this is also why we must stay in project development. If we stay on this path, build capex and I 10 and then move on central Mville on a central Mville line, we will deliver for residents in districts four, five, and seven. And we will deliver for residents and writers all across Phoenix. Uh my path forward represents a long-term transformational investment in Phoenix and Mville. If we stay in project development, we will create up to 16 years of construction jobs followed by two light rail lines serving Mville and an estimated 40 years of housing and retail development that will follow this infrastructure. That kind of sustained economic activity does not happen by accident. It happens because cities commit and they follow through. The jobs created by this project both during construction and in the decades of housing, retail and economic devel uh of activity to that follow represent the real opportunities and investments into working families and historically excluded communities that we need to see. Um this is how we build a healthier, a more connected and a more resilient Phoenix. What we risk by abandoning this alignment is significant. We risk starting over entirely. We risk damaging our credibility with the Federal Transit Administration. We ask We risk further fueling neighborhood resistance and uncertainty. We risk angering angering members of the JBC who have already vocalized support for the CAPEX project and who will consider it an act of war. And most importantly, we risk losing the trust of our residents. And after all of that, if a miracle happens and a wild number of unpredictable factors come together and somehow exiting and re-evaluating and going down Indian school happens, we will still only end up with one light rail into Mville instead of two and we would have only saved ourselves four to five years. That is a horrible deal. That is not progress. That is retreat. At its core, moving forward with this project is about trust. Voters approved it. residents were promised it. Oakland, Grand Avenue, Woodland, St. Matthews, and Mville deserve the same level of commitment, permanence, and respect as every other part of the city. We must move forward with CAPEX. I am ready to move forward. I urge this council to do the same. So, I would like to make a substitute motion that will move forward the Capex line and accelerate a West Phoenix LPA. Um, this motion gets my residents, the residents of district four and five and Phoenix voters everything we have discussed. So I would motion to approve option one capital extension with a modified alignment utilizing 16th Avenue South and find an accelerated West Phoenix LPA through Mville. Councilwoman Pastor. Um, I have questions. Great. Do we have the right folks? Yeah, I Okay, I'm ready to go. Um, explain to me what an LPA is. >> Thank you, mayor, members of the council. Councilwoman Pastor, an LPA is a locally preferred alternative. This means for a high-capacity transit project, this is the preferred route. Typically, LPA's include lines on the map. Uh not always details uh like station stops. Have I answered your question, council member? >> Yes. Um my question is, and I'm I'm going through the PowerPoint, so I don't know if you can bring back the PowerPoint. Um on one two it says uh adopt an updated capex route option one or re-evaluate high capacity. What is high capacity? What is re-evaluate high capacity mean? >> Mayor, I'm sorry. Um if I can interrupt, I don't believe that we heard a second. So before we continue discussion, do we need a second on the substitute motion? >> Oh, sorry. Okay, we recognize Councilwoman Pastor and I should also say Counciloman Stark will follow and then Counciloman Wardado. >> Okay. >> Do I go? >> Floor is yours. >> What is re-evaluate highcapacity transit options mean? >> Councilwoman Pastor, mayor, members of the council. So option two to re-evaluate high-capacity transit options because we didn't receive direction from the city council on it exactly what to study for option two. We were leaving that open to whether that could be council direction to evaluate light rail routes or bus rapid transit. >> Okay. So it means there's a possibility it could be light rail or bus rapid transit. >> Councilman Pastor that's correct. >> Okay. staff would need to understand council's direction on what we're supposed to study and evaluate to then come back. >> Okay. Thank you. I am going to I these are I think five um capex and 10 west timeline when it talks about 15% design. It says FTA accepts CAPSEX into the federal funding program. Um I'm 2023 they accepted it to get into the program. Am I correct? >> Yes. Um, mayor, council member Pastor, that that's when we officially entered project development, that entry step into uh competing for a federal grant, capital investment grant. So, that's when we were accepted into the capital program. >> So, we accepted into a capital program with the the capex with the design that we had submitted. >> Well, it's really not a design. It's a local commitment. It's um all kinds of support letters um and and preliminary study on it. You It's kind of like applying for a scholarship. >> At least I'm looking at it that way. >> Um and and then we we were able to make it into that next step. >> How much of the design is done? >> We're at approximately a 60% design level, Council Member Pastor. So 60% of the design is done and if we that then we turn in um it's the considered the LPA I think I'm saying this right and the project develop then we enter into a project development phase. Well, mayor, council member, we are in project development. At in project development, we have to do several things, but a couple really important things. We have to finalize that locally preferred alternative. And so that's why the the three route options you saw earlier that would have to be chosen and finalized. Another key one is we have to complete the environmental work. >> Okay, >> those are and there's a whole bunch of other things, but those are the two big ones. But once we complete that, >> then we go into engineering. >> Then we go into engineering and that's when we compete for the federal dollars. >> Absolutely correct. >> Okay. >> When we compete for the federal dollars, is there a possibility of not receiving the federal dollars? >> Mayor, council, council member Pastor, there is always a possibility that we would not receive federal dollars. >> Okay. would we when the what I'm thinking is we we submit we put it into the federal government the federal government says uh yay or nay if they say nay then we then the the capex is done how does this get paid for thank you mayor members of the council council member pastor so if we submit for funding and uh we don't receive funding we may receive feedback from federal transit administration on elements of the project that would need need to be changed, but most likely you would not receive federal funding. >> And then what happens to the project? >> That would be a decision for mayor and council. Once again, the T2050. I don't want to speak for Marcus. You want to speak to the funding strata? >> Yes, I'll speak. And I'll need if you don't mind coming up as well, just in case we got to have someone to make sure that I don't miscount the beans. Um so um with our current perform um we are assuming federal participation on these projects. So if the cap X were not to receive federal participation that would present a risk to further projects that are inside the performer program in our T2050 program. >> Okay. So that would put other uh options at risk. meeting be meeting council uh would then at that point determine I guess in the T2050 financial plan which option which uh projects would then move forward or not move forward or be re-evaluated is that what I'm getting >> that is correct >> okay um I So, I'm at 16 and I think I jumped ahead, but if you could go to slide 16. That's where I circled. Uh, federal funding is not guaranteed until a final GRA grant agreement is awarded. What does that mean? So the the mayor um members of the council council member pastor so federal funding under the capital investment grant program does require that a project be submitted for an application for capital investment grant funding that that be reviewed not only by federal transit administration uh but the administration in Washington and it would be determined if it would be eligible for funding and and then it is up to the appropriators uh to appropriate the amount. Um I mentioned earlier in the presentation spend some hours um Federal Transit Administration does on an annual basis put out a ratings package for the projects that are currently in project development. And so this is Federal Transit Administration's feedback to project sponsors as well as to the appropriators. how how um competitive the projects are to the project sponsors and then how um what projects might need to be considered for funding to the appropriators in Congress. Okay, thank you. Um and then on 21 talks about West Phoenix high-capacity transit alternatives analysis in there and this is what we voted on was the connection options to consider either 19th Avenue and Camelback or Central and Indian School. And that's what was voted on for to go back out to the community to ask about those two connections. Am I correct, mayor, members of the council? Yes, you are correct. >> Okay. And so I think I believe it was the tip committee that then gave some direction and I don't know the the exact direction that was given regarding Indian school. Councilwoman Pastor, Mayor, members of the council, at the TIP subcommittee that happened on December 17th, direction to staff was option two to evaluate other light rail routes that could service West Phoenix, including consideration of advancing the other existing locally preferred alternative route by the council, that west line. So that's why in today's presentation you're seeing um an explanation that we already did an evaluation of Mville and of the West study area that was discussed earlier in the presentation today and the council arrived at the west line as being a locally preferred alternative with light rail being the route that was approved by the council in May of 24 and valley metro board in June of 24. So, it's a light rail route. >> That's the action at that time that the city council took. That's correct. As a result of that alternatives analysis, I do want to make something clear that option two is not only advancement of the west line. The city council can give staff direction for option two to study any area of the west valley to provide highcapacity transit service. So, I know that was mentioned by um some of the individuals who spoke tonight. I just wanted to clear the confusion on that. Option two can include advancement of the west line, but it could also include other options that the city council direct staff to evaluate to provide highcapacity transit to the west side. >> Okay, I need to sit on that one. So, I'm going to move to my next question and come back. Um, I have the T2050 financial model plan. My first question is, how many light rails have been funded by federal funds? Are you speaking specifically for the city of Phoenix or for the program, our region as a whole? >> The city of Phoenix. >> For the city of Phoenix, we have had our northwest phase two, our central initial starter mile, our south central. Um, and that is it. >> Those three. >> Okay. because the Paradise Valley one or the Northeast uh is slated for 2041 because in 2018 we voted for delay. >> Northeast is in the program in the year 2049 >> 49 I'm sorry. >> Is that the Paradise Valley one? What I call Paradise Valley one? Okay. >> Yes. So at the Paradise Valley one in 2018, we voted for it to be delayed because it uh the council I was sitting on the council that year and that year the council members of that area wanted to delay that project. So it went to the back to 2049 which is T2050. Um and I'm giving you a little history so people uh understand what what what council has done. Uh Camelback came up. It was a preferred line. 2019, we were ready to go and uh several of my colleagues uh former colleagues that sat here decided that that line shouldn't go and on 2019 it was killed, died, delayed, I don't know. Um is no longer in existence. And so that money that was supposed to be service for that line went to streets and roads. Um and then South Central came about in 2019 and I was still I was part of this. Um and uh community came out and said, "Hey, we want uh two lanes, really four lanes versus two lanes." And I was at that time one of them that said, "Hey, pause. the community has come out and has asked for this. Um at that time I uh learned all about the process of a line and also learned at that process of many people sitting in front of me um telling me hey if you we don't move forward this line will not go through. Um and then somewhere in there we voted for Metro Center. Metro Center kind of got accelerated uh in between some of our votes. So, I'm just giving some history um so to understand that council has the ability even though it's a voter approved has the ability to change um the flexibility to change these lines. Um uh we have a tax called T2050 um which projects are slated for funding with T2050. Um the ones that I have in front of me is capital extension capex is slated and has dollars the ones that we're talking about and then would apply for federal uh share. But we also have West Phoenix slated. Um, and it's also going to apply for a federal share. Um, and we also have BRT on 35th Avenue slated and that's being paid for by T2050 and PTF and something else. Um, but I guess my question in all this, if if Capital Extension and West Phoenix are slated and we have the money, um, why can't we move it? Why can't we move both? Is it impossible, Councilwoman, mayor, members of the council? Um, it is it is possible on paper. I mean, we would have to do more, you know, when we get better numbers and look at it then. But, um, all of those projects you mentioned, the I 10 West, Capex, West Phoenix, 35th Avenue, BRT, and the ONM yard. All of those are currently in the plan ending with the positive fund balance. So if you wanted to move them around, we could look at that and um it would change based on the area of expenditure. Um and moving them would have a little less certainty than we have in the ones that are about to go into the the pipeline, but it certainly could be looked at. >> And the council has the ability uh to move around the T2050 money on projects or delay projects, I guess. Councilwoman Pastor, mayor, members of the city council, it has in the past. Um, correct. >> Okay. >> Councilwoman Pastor, mayor, members of the council, I just want to make one clarification to that. What Juanita is referencing is right now in the T2050 proform or the forecast, we are assuming the capital extension, I 10 West, and the West line, but they're based on construction timelines, meaning that they're phased in. They're not all happening at the same time. the proforma probably cannot stand or be sustainable if we were to assume all of those projects happening at the same time. So I want to make that clear that it's based on right now when the west line would be starting and ending which is 203031 and revenue service of 204142 and the capital extension and the I10 projects happening based on the current timeline. So they're phased in over that T2050 forecast. So, I just want to make that clear. >> I understand that. >> Okay. >> Um, >> you just wanted to >> I understand that, but I'm going to go back to my last question as to can the council change the way the way uh T2050 I guess rolls out or what projects move forward or don't move forward? Mayor, members of the council, yes, the council does have the the ability to prioritize those projects that are identified in the T2050 program. >> Okay. Um my next questions because we had talked a lot about small businesses and I was in this arena too in the small businesses uh in particular with South Phoenix and um one of the things I have is what capacity does Valley Metro have to assist small businesses in a financially. Thank you, mayor, members of the council. Um, it depends on really the funding stream and the direction. And I can give you the example of the small business assistance program, first of its kind on the South Central Extension project. Uh, the I'm looking for my notes, but I've got a lot of paper in front of me. Um, the total budget for the small business assistance program, I want to say, was $5.3 million. Um, two and of that two, >> I'm sorry. Um, mayor and council, I'll I'll take this for the small business financial assistance program. What I would say, Valley Metro's ability to provide financial assistance is dependent upon dollars that they get from our local sales tax. So, Valley Metro under their purview of what they're able to do with the dollars that they have available to them and for a federal match, they're unable to do a financial assistance program. However, with our local dollars, our T2050s, we are able to institute a um a program of that nature. Um it does require us to have certain things because we have to make sure we do not violate any of the gift clauses and other laws that um go towards um that regulate our ability to give taxpayer dollars to uh businesses for that are um experiencing hardship. But yes, um that is it's all done through our local T2050 dollars and not through any of the regional funds or through our federal matching dollars. >> Okay. So what I just heard is basically uh it's funds that come out of T2050. >> That is correct. >> And uh that there is an application process or some type of process uh due to a gift clause. Um my question is do they have to repay that? >> No. Um the way that the program has been structured thus far um there is no obligation for repayment. These are truly grants that are being given to the businesses that qualify. >> And I know at one point uh the grants uh at one point we ran out of money. Um another point it was too tedious for some of the small businesses because they could not qualify for the grant. So to provide clarification on that um we were able to successfully fund the program throughout the entire construction period. Um we did get feedback from some of the businesses um especially early in the process um that the application process was somewhat encumbersome. Um fortunate for us we were able to get a grant from PD PCDIC. Um and that grant allowed us to have two tiers in our program which that lower tier did not require businesses to show a financial um impact negative impact um which made it a lot easier for those businesses to access those funds. >> Yes. So it was T 2050 and then we had to go hustle. I say hustle but uh PCDIC then had we asked for contra uh if they were willing to uh be part of the program. >> That is correct. >> Yeah. And then that money, okay, that money came from T2050, not ARPA, right? >> Yes, that money came from T2050. Um, CED did have ARPA fund funding that they utilized from some business assistance, but that was outside of this program. >> Okay. It was it was another program that we created. >> That is correct. >> Okay. And then my final one is really Proposition 479. My understanding with proposition 479 uh none of the rail none of the rail can be part of uh prop is part of prop 479 my funding I mean funding >> the prop 479 funding as far as concerned with rail can only be utilized for the state of good repair and there is a maximum amount that can be utilized for that >> and could you play explain state of good repair? Oh, state of good repair is maintenance and making sure that the system is up and running smoothly. All of the existing infrastructure that we have. >> Okay. Um, and I don't know if I who to ask asked this. I don't know if it's you, Ed, but um, my understanding with Prop 479, uh, what we predicted, what we thought we were predicting um, for funding um, there is a it's not as much as we thought was going to be in the fund. And so now there's some dialogue or conversation uh regarding some of the funding in there. >> Uh I my understanding, Mayor, Council Member Pastor, it's not that there's not as much money in the transit fund. It's that the expenses within the transit portion are greater than expected in some parts, leaving less available for other parts and such as some of the bus program. So, but that's that's fully contained within the bus allocation of the Prop 479. >> Okay, >> that makes sense. >> Which also affects uh the state of good repair. >> Actually, it should not affect the state of good repair because that's its own separate bucket within 479. >> The the discussion about the bus >> around the buses >> is solely contained within the bus. That's my understander on that. I'm sorry. >> And the paratransit or >> paratransit and the bus. Yes. is that that's a bucket separate from the state of good repair funding. >> So then if we built uh capex I 10 and west uh we would have funding in the state in the in the in the account of uh state of good repair or something. >> I actually would defer to Miss Meford Miller because I think it there might be a nuance to that. >> Thank you mayor, members of the council. The state ofgood repair funding is to support a portion of the ongoing cost of maintaining the fixed guideway system and recapitalization of the system. When we say words like recapitalization, we mean large expenditures. Think uh purchasing new light rail vehicles at the time they retire. Now, with that being said, the majority of the funding for rail systems operation and maintenance is and and has been local funding sources from our rail cities, Phoenix, Mesa, and Tempe. >> Okay. And this is my final question, I think. Um, the motion that was made that didn't receive a second, is there any possibility of that? So, u mayors and mayor and council, the motion, uh was to advance the capex alignment, particularly the 16 South, and also look at possibility of accelerating the West Phoenix extension. I want to make sure that I have that correct. Um, that's the substitute motion that did not receive the second. Yes, that that is a possibility of us to advance the capital extension with that route alignment if council were to direct us to do so. And then we would work with Valley Metro and our regional partners to see if there's any opportunities to advance the West Phoenix alignment. >> Okay. So then I'm going to go back to my T2050 conversation. Um, then it sounds like we can if it got a second and there's it can be advanced. >> Council Pastor, mayor, members of the city council. Um, we haven't actually modeled that and it would depend on how much it was advanced. It does um to Amber's earlier point require some time in between projects, but um we could we could research that. >> Okay. Thank you. >> Thank you so much. And I just want to be very clear because it's confusing. There is a state law that has already been passed and signed by Doug Ducey that gives the legislature the most control over one extension and that is capital extension. There is no such law that has been passed for Indian school today. Right. >> That would Yes, mayor. Great council. >> Okay. I just think that's a really important distinction that wasn't clear. There's a lot of things to be corrected here. There is active litigation over multiple transportation projects that have been cancelled in our ninth circuit. There is a a very large number of cities who are suing over being required for all DOT projects to comply with Trump executive orders which range broadly on every it's all Trump executive orders so from DEI to immigration and there are many many elected officials in this country who are alleging that the projects were canceled for political reasons. So just there's we got to be accurate here. All right. Uh, who did I call on next? It was Councilman Stark. >> Thank you. Thank you. And I promise I'll be brief. I just want to go back to the Proposition 104. Not only did we vote on light rail, we also voted on BRT. We voted on bus routes. We voted on bike lanes. And we also voted on actually paving some of our roads. Now, my understanding when I voted on Prop 104 was Bel Road was going to be one of our BRT lines and it isn't at this point. And I got you used to send out these reports on the various issues with regards to what we voted on. And in the BRT discussion, you talked about uh what we voted on and then it went on to say, "But the Citizen Transportation Commission and the Phoenix City Council have since requested that BRT program re-evaluate potential corridors considering the significant growth that has occurred since the plan was developed in 2014 2015. So clearly I think we do have some flexibility in re-evaluating what went to the voters because it certainly happened with BRT. Now I I know I still continue to advocate for Bell Road. I my part of Bell Road has a lot of apartment complexes, a lot of density. And then north of that on Grover's there's a lot of uh mobile home sub actually subdivisions, not parks, but actual subdivisions. And then south of um Bell Road, the largest apartment complex in uh the state of Arizona exist at Seventh Street and Greenway. So clearly there was density that would help sustain BRT, but through the analysis of staff, they said it just didn't warrant it and that at this time we were looking at other locations. And so one of the one of the locations we did look at was 35th Avenue that was on the map. And in this analysis, it said only after council has approved the RT plan and does uh designating specific corridors. It talked about with design starting in 2022, construction of the first corridor could begin in 2023 with the first line commencing in 2023 or 2024. I wish that had happened, but it didn't happen because I think if we saw BRT, it looks and feels a lot like light rail. My brother lives in Madison, Wisconsin. Their light rail, they have BRT. They don't have light rail. Their BRT is in the center of the streets. You get on it just like you would a light rail and it moves just as quickly. They control the traffic signals so they can go through the lights and the buses move very quickly. Do they have problems? Yeah, they went all electric and right now it's six below and they're having a hard time moving because of just the temperatures. But it does work effectively. The same in Las Vegas. They also have a center lane. I know in um Los Angeles and I believe in Seattle it's on curb lanes, but it does work. It is an alternative. So, one of the things since we seem to have the flexibility when it comes to BRT, and it seems to me that I didn't see any voters get up and get irritated that we didn't stick with what we voted, I would be more than happy happy to look at at BRT as some alternatives to get to the West Valley, including looking at I 10 if it really truly and it does. I mean, I've been on BRT, it does feel like you're on light rail, so I'm very open to that. Um, but I do believe there is flexibility in what the council can do and clearly the council member from district 5 has heard from her constituents and it's long overdue that the west valley be served. Um, I would like to see a little bit more in the north part of our city. We don't have a lot of bus routes and clearly we could have benefited from some BRT but it's not happening right now. But I do I really do feel that there's a history of flexibility including Paradise Valley Mall. I think you uh Councilwoman Pastor brought that up. We did delay that because the mall was dying. I mean the mall just was going away and no one knew what was going to happen and it just seemed like okay let's slow that down and re-evaluate which we did. Now the good news is it's being redeveloped. So maybe it's time we start looking at that again. But I really look at this and I feel like we've had flexibility and I just haven't seen people come out angry about what we did with BRT and I think that's just a great alternative to light rail. I am not opposed to light rail. It it serves a purpose and long term yeah long term it works but so does BRT. There's there's a need for both and I'm glad that you can stand up that long. God love you. So, I I do appreciate um the all the comments, but I I look at this and I do think we have flexibility and I do think council people have a sense of what's going on in their their districts. So, I can appreciate what you've proposed and so I thank you very much and hopefully we'll continue the dialogue on bus rabbit transit should have been built by now. It would be really nice if we had something so that everyone could say, "Oh yeah, I know what you're talking about because I think a lot of folks may not have really experienced it." But it really in in my humble opinion, it really does look and feel a lot like light rail. So, thank you mayor. >> Thank you, Councilwoman, and thank you for your passion for transportation and and moving forward. I just want to say those of us up here care deeply about Mville and want to deliver for Mville. And to say that this is about anything than different calculations about what is police politically feasible is disingenuous. Mville is very important to this city and we can disagree about where the politics are and which project we'll deliver. But we don't need to get into insulting people's motivations over this. It is a political decision and it is a political difference about which project is more politically feasible. But we are passionate about this city and we want to do well for it. Vice Mayor, >> thank you. Mayor, I still have a couple of questions. I was trying to make sure I don't duplicate the questions that my colleagues have asked, but I am going to uh I do have a few questions here. Uh just a general question uh for um for Valley Metro and um Director Coleman to talk about public transit trends and utilization. Um there was some commentary uh from speakers about light rail not being needed. Um can you talk a little bit about the trends that you're seeing, the utilization you're seeing particularly in general and then focus a little bit on the two most recent extensions and if you can talk a little bit about the revenue projections whether or not they have met our expectations. It's a lot. >> Thank you mayor members of the council. Council member Haj Washington I can speak to do you want writership trends nationally Phoenix both? Yes, I would like to hear more about the writership trends here in our city with respect to our light rail. >> Thank you. Uh so our writership trends still haven't even though we've expanded, we still haven't recovered relative to our prepandemic writership. And when we say prepandemic, we're benchmarking calendar year 2019. Typically at that time we were carrying about 15.8 million passenger boardings per year on light rail. We are right now closing in at 11 million boardings per year at that rate. And so we have seen a pretty significant decline in all modes of transit rider fixed route transit ridership that is uh bus and light rail across the system. The resurgence that we've seen that 20% year-over-year from the last quarter that I mentioned earlier in the evening uh that is light rail and the majority of this actually the south central extension. So it is the new extensions uh that are really carrying the day if you will in our writership growth. I want to acknowledge that. Um with respect to projections to your question when we uh plan and design projects and we when we submit um ratings packages for project development as we did for Northwest Extension phase 2 and South Central Extension we submit uh writership projections and we're hitting those writership projections. So, we're very pleased uh with the way those routes are performing. >> Thank you for Thank you for that. Um and I know they're both they are separate communities and I'm not trying to equate them to be similar. Um but I I bring the reference of the South uh Phoenix community. I think demographically when it comes to transit dependency as well as access to vehicle, would you say they are similar to the Mville community? based on information that we've done through our TOD and TOC process for South Central and then the preliminary information that we received through census data and part of the alternative analysis. I would say that they don't mirror each other, but they are very similar in their makeup. >> Thank you for that clarification. I wasn't I wasn't prescribing that they were um they mirrored each other. I was just trying to make a maybe a too far of a speculation or an assumption that given their similarities that if I were to extrapolate we would see similar writership in that community. Um given that the south uh central extension is if I'm correct is now our most third um utilized station and as well as the wrership numbers are are very impressive. >> That would be a reasonable assumption. >> Thank you so much. And then other questions we heard a little bit. And I just want to take a minute to dispel some what I think are possible misinformation or misconceptions about light rail travel. Um, and they talked about u one of the I think one or a couple of the speakers talked about uh almost a fear of light rail because they think it's going to bring crime and homeless and unsheltered individuals into their community. Can you talk a little bit about what um programs the light rail has implemented to ensure that the quality of um quality of life or the quality of usage for light rail writers and the adjacent businesses and residents. >> So I'll start and then I'll hand it over to Jessica. I'll speak about a program that we recently have been working in partnership um with Valley Metro as well as several offices within the city of Phoenix. We work with the office of public health, the office of homeless solutions, the office of heat um as well as um partnering with uh two nonprofit organizations right now, Ve Soul and Mercy Care um to do a program that is a pilot program that we currently implemented that is called trace. It's transit reaching all community for empowerment. Um really what it is is a proactive approach to providing social services along some of the hot spots we've identified throughout the light rail corridors. Um we feel like this is opportunity for us to connect people with long-term needs. We understand especially during our hotter months that people will look to escape the elements. Um, we do have heat respit centers that are set up along that are close to some of our light rail corridors as well as some of our nonprofit partners have services that they provide whether it be due to uh substance abuse um shelter, food services, clothing shel clothing services and a myriad of different social services that they provide. We uh utilize volunteer workers um to go out and they make this engagement. They have to go through a training. They make a proactive engagement on the system. Um they um uh send or connect people with services that are within walking distance or earshot of the light rail system. Um so that we're getting those individuals into the long long-term care that they need. Um, this does a few things by not only, uh, removing the need for people to utilize public transportation as a way or means to escape the environmental conditions that they're experiencing and getting them into the actual permanent solutions that they need. But it also provides a better rider experience um, for our passengers who are riding and utilizing our public transit. Um, we do some of these things in conjunction with Valley Metro security team as well as their outreach team. Um, and then I know that Valley Metro has some great statistics that they could share around safety and security as there's been a great effort that's been put forward recently in those areas. >> Thank you, mayor. Members of council, Valley Metro works handin glove with our three rail cities to deliver security across the system as part of the social services outreach program that Marcus mentioned. I I'll build on that. Uh thanks in in large part to the support of members of council, Mayor and Congresswoman Ansari. On Friday, uh House Resolution 6938 was signed into law that will appropriate $1 million to support the Valley Metro community safety program. And this will allow us to amplify social services outreach presence across the light rail system. Our baseline uh security measure for light rail is our frontline security team. We deliver that through a contract with a team called Intercon. Our Intercon team members on a typical weekday peak period, we've got about 48 uh frontline team members out there inspecting fairs and securing our light rail platforms, park and rides, surrounding environments, and of course the rail cars themselves. Their job is to enforce code of conduct including fair policy. Also to provide assistance and information to our riders. We also have a small but mighty team of 14 ambassadors. They are in the purple shirts and they are out answering questions, directing customers and coordinating between our teams in City of Phoenix. We also rely heavily on the transit unit of the City of Phoenix Police Department. They do a fantastic job and work to respond to our teams when they are called. And we also do proactive patrols on board this system with the transit enforcement unit. We have leaned in heavily over the last three years to transit system safety and security. I am pleased to share that in the last year our uh security incidents are down on the rail system 54%. Our bus operator assaults these are primarily bus operator assaults are down 60% in part thanks to a new law at the state level which makes assault on a transit worker a felony offense in the state of Arizona. And we survey our customers. It's not enough to look at the uh trend data. We want to know how people feel when they're writing our system. We conducted a poll survey focused on security in late 2022, early 2023. We repeated that same survey, same questions uh this past fall, and every single metric area had doubledigit increases in performance. And today, 82% of our light rail riders say they would recommend or highly recommend Valley Metro light rail to their friends and family, which is a a wonderful endorsement from our riders. Have I answered your question, Council? >> Yes, you and thank you so much for that extensive answer from both of you. Um, and I think it also, if I may, it shows that uh Valley Metro has been adaptive when it comes to addressing the concerns raised by the community. I can attest that as the South Central Extension was coming in or coming online, one of the community feedbacks that we heard consistently was to ensure that we had a plan in place to ensure that it was a a safe environment and it would not be um used as a mechanism for people to come into the community um for for services. Um I and I also want to I also think it also shows um the con the it's late. It shows the commitment to continual improvement. Um because that's not what we did on the first extensions of the light rail. We have been constantly adapting to the feedback from our from our residents and I think what we are seeing here is uh uh organization that has shown the ability to make those adjustments. So I thank you for going through that lengthy um explanation of what it is that we provide here. I'm going to jump around a little bit next and I want to ask some clarific clarifying questions regarding the ballot propositions. Um, and I think this might be a Derek question. Um, sorry. Uh, >> thank you so much for uh joining us at the table. Um we have heard a quite a number of ballot propositions. Um Prop 400, Prop 479. Um my overarching question is I I hear both members of the public as well as my colleagues talk about they voted for this specific plan or this uh specific extension time and time again. I maybe my mind is too literal and I want to make sure that I understand whether or not that specific route those specific routes were presented to the community for a vote as part of the ballot proposition or whether or not it was a ballot proposition that supported funding to execute a plan. Does my question make sense? >> Yes. So, mayor, members of the council, vice mayor, um proposition 104, the language of that proposition, um essentially what the what the voters were asked to fund was a comprehensive transportation plan. And then there was seven bullet points that were identified in the ballot measure. Uh they included expanding the light rail, um adding bus service, um extending bus and and dialer ride services, improving streets and roadways, increasing security measures, and providing funding for additional transportation services such as shade structures. So that's um and then there was maps that were attached to Proposition 104. There were three maps. Uh those three maps included expanding the light rail and new bus rap BRT plan uh new and improved local and rapid commuter bus services and uh also a proposed um Phoenix major street improvement plan. So those were identified on the maps but the actual proposition itself was to improve was to approve a comprehensive transportation plan. >> So again maybe I'm I can be literal at times and I just want to make sure I understand it. So, by approving the comprehensive um plan, does that mean that we as a council are unable to make modifications to that plan as we're doing as the current motion? Um, >> no, my understanding is when the language has been proposed again, you're funding the you're funding the plan with the increase in the TPT tax over 35 years. Um and the maps were attached to show where where alignments may go, but there was some flexibility, some latitude. >> So, and is that just for the um Prop 104 or was that for all of the ballot propositions? >> My understanding was that that was for all of them. >> Okay. Thank you. And I just wanted a clarification because I've heard multiple colleagues say we we I voted for this specific route. my voters voted for sorry voters approved a specific route and I think it might be a distinction without a difference to some but I think it's a distinction that I want to understand in in terms of our authority so thank you so much for the clarification on that um that was asked my next question probably goes I think thank you Derek I think that's my last question for you um my next question goes to um clarifying um I don't know if it if it's as um if it's clear to well maybe I'll say it this way um my understanding is without the I10 extension the capex does not I'm sorry without IT 10 extension um the capex route would not provide connection to the Mville community, >> mayor, members of the council, that is correct. >> Okay. U my understanding also is the I 10 extension proposes a certain number of miles that are on the freeway or the highway. I don't know. I always get the word right. Is it freeway or highway? But it's on the It's not on our regular streets. >> That is correct. A majority of that alignment would run within the I10 corridor. >> And when and that's actually on the freeway correct? >> That would be um a certain portion from I would say approximately the stack um to uh 45th to 47th Avenue would be in the center median. After that point, it would um go over the um westbound traffic lanes to the north bank of the freeway, the south side of the drainage channel, where it would run from that point all the way to 79th Avenue, where then it would turn north and go um 79th Avenue north to the Desert Sky Transit Center. >> Okay. You're the street guys. I'm not. about how much like if you had to quantify that in terms of mileage on the capex extension, how much miles would be actually sorry the I10 extension? How many miles are actually on the freeway? >> I'm going to look to Trevor to to smack me if I'm wrong, but I would say approximately >> mayor and council member, I couldn't break that up, but I would say a good 80% of that 10 miles. So, let's say 8 miles for today's discussion. >> Thank you so much. That's enough for me. That's that that's enough for me >> approximately eight months. >> Um, thank you so much for that question. So then my I'll come back to streets but my next question I'm jumping around. I'm trying to be follow my notes here. I wanted to follow up with economic development. I know Ryan is Where's Ryan? Um, he's kind of new to us, but I wanted to get some some feedback. Sorry, I'm keeping you guys active. Everyone's thankful to stand up. >> Thank you. Welcome to the table again or welcome back, I should say. Um, can you talk a little bit about what economic development we would expect to see along a light rail construction from a I know you're like new to the city, but what type of light economic development would we expect? >> So, uh, mayor, vice mayor, uh, thank you for the question. Typically in my experience from my last jurisdiction which was um known and uh kind of nationally for their transit oriented development um usually you can see higher densities uh which allow you for a multiple of uses uh along the transit corridor. So that could be anything from uh housing or residential to commercial uses uh such as retail uh typically on your ground floor. Um so you typically try to take advantage of those densities to uh have more a variety of uses that can then help uh generate a variety of revenues. Does that answer your question? >> That does answer my question. Uh my follow-up question for from that would be um what type of economic development would you see if the I 10 extension is actually construction in the on along the freeway or in the freeway along the median. Um >> so on a freeway versus uh for example like through a downtown or a street area. So, um I I can't speak specifically to that in Phoenix, but I mean I think what you would probably see is uh less less densification if you were along a major highway corridor. I would venture to say, but u that's an educated guess. >> It's fine. Thank you. I appreciate that. Um, I think my other question, um, I apologize the question was asked when I stepped out. Um, there are plans for revitalization of the Desert Sky Mall area. >> We might could could It's untraditional, but because you're new, maybe Councilwoman Cordado could also help. >> Yeah. Um definitely there's a lot of um plans. There's already construction already happening and we have a few apartment um apartment complexes that are already built and a lot of other apartment complexes that are coming in that area. Um all of that happened under um the congresswoman when it was under congresswoman Ansari. And then right now we understand that there's a big supermarket that's also coming to um Desert Sky Mall. That's going to be a huge staple um for that community as well. Um and there's a lot of transformation um that's happening in the corridor. Um a lot of people have spent I think it's one of the only malls at at at this time um that is still being kept alive. It's a it's a very busy um complex um from Desert Sky Mall to all the different um revenue sources that we have in in that area. Um so yes, there is a lot of redevelopment that has happened that and that is happening and that is being scheduled for. >> Thank you so much. Um and thank you uh director uh Tulho for your clarification regarding the extent of uh economic development on uh I call it traditional um downtown versus on on a freeway. I will move on to my other question. Um, I'm not sure who's best to answer this, but it's my understanding that the CAP X project currently has a has a project rating of medium to high. Somebody nod to say if I'm right or wrong. >> Um, mayor and vice mayor, it's medium dash high. I want to be very clear. >> Medium dash high. >> It's not medium too high. It's medium high. >> I appreciate that. For those of us that don't even get it right as to the dash versus the two, can you give us is there any way you can give us kind of some of the factors that are utilized in deter making that determination like what are the criteria? >> Yes. Uh mayor, vice mayor, multiple factors including land use, projected wrership, cost effectiveness. And when we say cost effectiveness, both the cost to build it, the cost to operate it. Um th those are uh a lot of the key but also local funding commitment um feeds into a rating for different projects throughout the country and if I didn't say it writership vice mayor >> thank you so much I have um if maybe just big four land you land use uh projected wrership cost effectiveness and local funding support. Okay, thank you so much. Um and again I terrible with distance. What do we anticipate to be the um well if we had to look at the proposed Indian school route as prop as the alternative that's been proposed in this motion? What is the length of that? >> Um mayor, vice mayor, depending on that connection option you know that Marcus discussed uh earlier. I think I believe we're looking at anywhere from 10 to 11 miles in that range. >> Okay. Thank you. >> I know I told Derek you could sit down, but I I missed one question. Sorry. Sorry. There were like I wrote notes for every speaker and I was trying to consolidate them so I apologize. >> Thank you so much for coming back up. Um from my perspective and I I just need you to help me clarify. Do it seems that there is a conflict or conflicting interpretation as to whether or not the G JBC um has the ability or the authority to to determine the location of stations. At least we've had conflicting correspondence or um is that fair to say we've had conflicting correspondence? I don't want you to give me a legal opinion. I just want to >> No, I Well, I can't give you a legal opinion, but um uh I think yes, there is a conflicting interpretation. I think you're referring to the governor's letter um and the office of the governor the letter from the governor's office is obviously just an opinion but the letter from the governor's office did provide a new interpretation regarding the application of that statute with regards to whether or not JBC approval is required. Um the city's always followed the plain language of that statute and operated under the assumption that any contract or agreement relating to the placement of light rail station in the governmental mall must be submitted to the ADOA uh uh by the ADOA director uh to the GBC for approval. Um, and reflecting that assumption, the the ADOA indicated in its letter uh on May 9th, 2025 back to the GBC membership, and that was Senator Kavanaaugh and Representative Livingston, uh, quote, that the Arizona Department of Administration has not entered into any contracts or agreements with Valley Metro and would not do so without first submitting the contract or agreement to the GBC for approval. So that new interpretation offered by the governor raises an issue exact between ADOA and the GBC as to whether GBC approval is actually needed. Uh the statute itself places no affirmative obligation on the part of the city to do anything. Uh but a disagreement between the ADOA and the GBC uh might pose a risk or potential delay for the project. >> Okay. And then the last question might be an unfair question. I'm going to but I'm going to ask it anyways. Um there is uh a number of bills as we heard. Um one of them being I think let me get the right number. Um I think it yeah it's Senate Bill 1332 which the summary I have says it prohibits state participation in any light rail expansion projects including approval of any permits required by the state for construction. Um, if I had if you had to I guess I'm say guess would you think that um more state involvement would be uh it's an unfair question. I'm going to strike it. I'm going to give I'm let it go. I'm not going to ask you. Thank you for answering the questions. Those are my questions. Mayor, >> thank you so much. Councilwoman Gordado. >> Thank you, Mayor. Um I just have some follow-up questions to for Brianna. if she can come up please. Thank you so much for staying staying with us so late. So my question um to you is with the beautifification project um that we have for Indian school can you um tell us uh what took us to want to apply for that grant? Yeah, the the reason we applied for that uh grant uh Councilwoman Gordado was related to um crash history on Indian schools. So um I believe over like a 5-year period uh we applied in 2022 and so the crash data we had was 27 through 2021. Um we saw 40 uh crashes that had occurred in that 5-year period. Um and so it resided on our high injury network and uh one of our corridors that had a long history of of crash history. >> And can you tell us which is I love being number one. I I really do. I love I really do and I'm very competitive. Um but on this one I'm not sure I like it. Can you tell us which is our most dangerous intersection in the city of Phoenix? Um so the most dangerous intersection um within Phoenix um has changed over the years. At that time it was 75th Avenue in Indian School at that at that moment in time. And I remember um that we had so many conversations. I know Estrea Super Moms couldn't be here um because of lack of transportation, a lot of moms taking care of kids. Um um I'm sure if they had that avenue, they probably would have been here. Um but you know just talking to them um seeing how many fatalities um can you tell us how many schools and how many parks do we have between um on 75th Avenue between Indian school and Thomas? >> I'm sorry I know that's an unfair question maybe a little bit. mayor and members of council um and counciloman Gordado. I could not honestly speak to the number of schools and parks that we have within that corridor. I'm happy to come back and provide that information to you, but um just thinking about as I think about the Grand Canal and and traveling in that area, there are significant number um of um schools as well as uh parks and community places. >> I could tell you there's a loss park which is one of our most visited parks um in the city of Phoenix. Um we have a Estrea Middle School and we also have a high school there. Um so we've seen uh a lot of people come and speak to us about children being run over. Um I think um that is one of the reasons why um we were pushed to look at a new school and figure out how do we reduce the fatalities. I'm not sure, mayor, if you remember us doing um the lighting uh for one of our hawk lights. And as that lighting happened and as we were trying to do the first cross, a car just almost ran over all of us. Um and we were able to say, "Yes, this is the reason we need this." Um we just added another hawk light over at 91st Avenue in Indie School in that same area. And we had the same experience as we were trying to cross. we had cars just rushing um through the through the red light. Um so it's definitely a a necessity like for me um this is Thank you so much um Brianna for answering those questions. For me this is not just about um you know whether it's this intersection or that intersection. You know we've lost too many lives on on this corridor. Um, as someone that lives in this area, you know, I've experienced and seen um how our neighbors do not walk on Indian school, they don't walk on any of our streets. A lot of our neighbors don't leave their homes after 8:00 because of how dangerous they feel it is to travel down these streets just because of speed. I know that as a council, we've adopted um different measures um to try to reduce traffic. Um, we've tried educating drivers. Um, and some things have worked, some things haven't. Um, and I believe I guess I just like your and you tell me if you cannot answer this question or not. Um, but do you feel um that having light rail down Indian school would make it a lot safer and make it a lot more walkable? Um what I would say is the improvements that come along with light rail um definitely can improve safety. So when we see light rail come through, they're rebuilding all of the traffic signals. They're adding in street lights. We see additional pedestrian crossings. So those are counter measures that we look at um to implement safety on our roadways. >> Thank you. Well, thank you so much. Um, thank you, mayor, for the time and look looking forward um to what we will be doing next. >> Wonderful. Thank you. Does anyone have a dish? Councilwoman Pastor, >> I have a question. Um, there's a number of things happening on Indian school. Um, one is the AOT project that is starting or going to start. Then you have the BRT going down 35th. Then if the possibility of light rail going down Indian school and now you have the re-imagined streets, how is this all going to get coordinated? Because this affects all the small businesses. >> Um I think you bring up a a good point, Councilwoman Pastor. Um I think if option two um moves forward um we as the street transportation department in coordination with AOT in coordination with Valley Metro um as well as public transit with BRT really need to get together um and kind of outline what all of these schedules look like and trying to figure out how to best marry up all of these projects and help mitigate um some of the concerns that the community may have with uh lots of active construction happening. within the area >> and I'm asking only because district 4 is half of the half of the line. >> Mayor and council, one thing that I would like to add to that is we've already started some of this coordination. We've been actively working with MAG and AOT on the 35th Avenue um and grand project. Um we've also not only been part of that design concept but actually financially helped with the grant um process um to make sure that that project will be able to accommodate highcapacity transit on Indian school and also 35th Avenue in hope and uh recognizing that we have those as a potential corridors that have been approved by our city council as locally preferred alternatives. Um, so we are incorporating those needs into those projects. Not building out the full infrastructure, but building out in a footprint and a structural standpoint that can with that can withstand high-capacity transit on both of those corridors. Um, we are also um working like Briana spoke about earlier, we're also working um with street transportation currently having those conversations about the reinvisioning um Indian school and what that will look like. However, this is very preliminary. Um, we have not been given direction by the full council to advance West Phoenix. So, those conversations have been very high level. We would need more coordination if that were the action that our council would take today. >> Thank you. The motion on the table is Councilwoman Gordado's motion. Roll call. >> What is it? >> Counciloman Gordado's motion. You want to read it again? >> Yeah. The motion is I move that the city council adopt option two directing staff to prioritize the Indian school road light rail line as the city's next major light rail investment with a goal of meeting the proposed 2036 revenue service date for that corridor and to rep prioritize the capital extension light rail project accordingly within transit planning Capital programming and funding schedules. >> Roll call. >> Yes. >> Ernandez, >> no. >> O'Brien, >> yes. >> Enter the webinar panelist numeric password followed by pound. >> Pastor, >> I want to explain my vote. Please do. Um as a a daughter who watched a man uh in his own way uh build and along with a lot of people around him and community uh build and uh help fund a transportation system and understand uh the importance of a transportation system and what it does for a community. Uh I find myself at a very difficult vote. I find myself at a very difficult vote because I'm also uh affected by both lines. Uh I'm in the middle. There's three three uh council people and I'm I sit in the middle of this vote. Um, I also sit as the Valley Metro uh light rail chair and um and really understand the movement of transportation across our city and really across our region and I carry that uh with a lot of weight. But tonight I will vote for where I have always voted for like my Camelback line. I will vote with the voters who voted for option one. >> Robinson, >> yes. >> Stark, quickly explain my vote. I um I don't think we give up on capex. It's just a a different timing. I I don't think I heard anyone up here say that they oppose capex. The voters did want it and I think we still owe it to them and um I I I hope that if we go along Indian school, we make sure we work with the merchants very closely. Um but I still am committed to CABEX. I I think everyone up here is and I hope that we also look at BRX as an BRT, sorry, you can tell I'm getting tired. BRT as an alternative um to light rail in some of our routes. So yes, wearing >> uh mayor explain my vote. So uh I'm anti- light rail. I don't think it produces anything even near what some of the people who like it will claim. But uh that is not the vote today. If there was vote against light rail, then I'd take it. But this is a binary choice between angering the legislature, probably getting into lawsuits, spinning our wheels, or trying to find something that might produce something in the future with money that's already been dedicated. Uh, so I'm going to vote yes. >> Hodge Washington, if I may explain my vote mayor >> please do. >> Thank you. I want to again say thank you to the community members for your support and participation in this process. Whether or not you showed up in person, sent an email, made a call, or completed the survey. Your voices matter and your passion for this decision highlights it some complexity. For me, it was more than just a than the number of support votes versus the number of opposition votes. Notes. It requires careful consideration of several factors. This is not just a this is not a political decision for me. It's about maximizing access for residents. As I mentioned during the TIP subcommittee meeting, I wanted to hear input from the council members representing the affected communities. I valued their firsthand experience and insight. Also, the shift noted in the survey once option two was noted was also significant to me. From my perspective, option one deprivives Maraveville of the full economic revitalization benefits they deserve. The I10 limits opportunities for transit oriented development and housing option. As one speaker pointed out today, option one has vacant buildings which could be repurposed to increase the value of empty garages. However, I'm going to choose to prioritize people over property values. In contrast, option two, sorry, option uh one, the capex route covers 1.3 miles. It does not take a community to Mville. The Indian school route is is much longer and it does address the Marville community. The complex the completion of the Indian school route could be as soon as 2035 while the 10 project is expected to be completed in 2034. And on this 2034 time frame from my perspective is subject to external factors as the highway is largely outside the city's jurisdiction leave us vulnerable to other parties decisions. Members of the state legislature have already introduced a bill that seeks to prohibit state participation in any light rail expansion projects, including approvals of any permits required for the by the state for construction. The latest written communication from the legislature indicates their continued willingness to appro extension. I believe that this route, the Indian school route, gives us more control as a city and I believe that access to public transportation for the Mville residents is too important. In my opinion, option two respects the will of the voters. While revitalization might be a consequence, citizens voted from my perspective for access to transportation to their community members. The Marville community shares similar shares similarities with the South Phoenix community in terms of vehicle ownership and access. They are transit dependent. In just 7 months, the the South Central Extension has become a significant part of the community. It is the third most utilized station serving approximately 9,000 passengers and to me that is critical. While I appreciate and I appreciate and note the initial plan, it is also important to acknowledge that circumstances have changed. While the plan was conceive when the plan was conceived, the I10 route from my perspective was primarily designed to serve the West Valley region, not necessarily the West Phoenix area. Consequently, the region's contribution to light rail has been limited, and as a city, I believe we should prioritize utilizing funds to enhance services for our residents. I believe that the Indian school road option represents a real opportunity for the Mville community, much like the South Central Extension has been for South Mountain, South Phoenix. in South Mountain. Um the light rail has improved access to jobs, education, healthcare, and regional destination while also bringing infrastructure, upgrades, safer streets, and a long overdue public investment shape by community engagement. Indian schools serves a similarly transit dependent corridor in Mville, connecting residents to to employment current employment centers, schools, and existing light rail. I believe investing here will help reduce travel times, improve walkability, support local businesses, and catalyze thoughtful reinvestment if paired with strong displacement protection and small business support. South Central showed us when light rail is implemented with equity at the center, it can expand opportunities and strengthen communities. The Indian School alignment gives us a chance to apply these lessons in Mville and deliver comparable lasting benefits. Public voices do hold a significant importance. It is worth noting that option two has strong has faced strong opposition from the business community along the corridor. One business owner aptly said that grants alone cannot replace customers. So I would also challenge that valley metro convene a working group of or task force with the affected business community to explore ways to construct the light rail system without negatively impacting small business. I also encourage Valley Metro and the city manager's office or office to consider various construction phases and potential adjustments such as relocation and potential options to minimize the and additional options to minimize the advers effects on adjacent businesses. Lastly, I en I encourage the city manager's office to establish an advisory team to ensure that the light rail project to Mville remains a top priority for us as a city. And with that, I vote yes, mayor. Yes. >> Passes 72. >> Thank you so much. Thank you to everyone who has worked so hard and engaged and who made it to midnight with us. We are adjourned. >> Thank you, Mayor.