Budget, charter amendments on council agenda
City officials will meet Tuesday and Wednesday this week
The Yuma City Council this week will discuss potential charter amendments and the 2024 and 2025 budgets.
The council will meet for a work session on Tuesday and a regular meeting on Wednesday. The work session will include presentations on the city’s 2024 financial status and 2025 outlook, proposed 2025 budget and proposed Capital Improvement Program for 2025-2029.
On Wednesday, the council will further discuss the 2025 budget and potential amendments to the city charter, in particular to the sections connected to elections and city officials.
At the urging of some citizens, the council has recently been considering once again asking voters to approve changes to the salaries of the mayor and council members, a proposition that failed at the ballot box in November.
One proposed ordinance is up for adoption, which would update the wastewater discharge local limits. The city is required by federal and state environmental standards to maintain an ordinance which regulates the discharge of non-domestic waste into the city’s wastewater collection system. The existing limits were last updated in 2010 and need to be modified to reflect new state and federal requirements, wastewater treatment plant changes and local wastewater discharge permit requirements.
One ordinance will be introduced, which would add a new chapter to the shortterm rentals section to provide for regulations consistent with state law. The proposed text amendment would ensure short-term rentals pay the same tax as other transient lodging operations such as hotels and motels.
One resolution is on the agenda, which would create Municipal Improvement District No. 127 to serve Riverview Terrace Subdivision located at the northeast corner of Avenue A and 3rd Street.
The agenda also includes the reading of a proclamation for Child Abuse Prevention Month, Joint Land Use Plan overview and project timelines and the Yuma Police Department Annual Report.
In addition, the following items are on the consent agenda:
• Award $236,810 contract to the primary vendor DPE Construction of Yuma and secondary vendor BLT Asphalt of Yuma for hot and cold mix concrete.
• Ratify a change order of $84,547, for a total cost of $1.02 million, for the redesign portion of Phase 1 of the East Mesa Community Park to J2 Engineering & Environmental of Phoenix. The city seeks to trim the overall construction costs of the project by reducing the overall size of the lake from 4 acres to 3 acres.
• Appoint Richard W. Files as city attorney following the Nov. 7 special election, in which voters approved a charter amendment in connection to the city attorney. The city attorney now serves at the pleasure of the mayor and council and is appointed by the mayor and council as the chief legal advisor to the council, city administrator and all city departments, offices and agencies.
• Authorize the construction and operation of Bubba’s 333, a new 7,743-squarefoot restaurant, on Parcel B at the southwest corner of 4th Avenue and 16th Street, next to Slim Chickens.
The meetings will take place at 5:30 p.m. in the City Hall Council Chambers, 1 City Plaza. Meetings can also be viewed remotely at tinyurl.com/4snxunv7.
To view and/or download the complete agenda and staff reports, go to yuma-az.legistar.com/calendar.aspx or scan the QR code.