Town Manager's Weekly Update for December 31, 2021

For the Week Ending

December 31, 2021

Year in Review - 2021

Like 2020, this last year has been filled with challenges due to the pandemic.That did not stop us, however, from achieving our goals to make Paradise Valley an even better place to live.

Let's take a look back at the year and what we have achieved!

Short-Term Rental Code Changes to Protect Our Neighborhoods

The most pressing issue facing residents of the Town of Paradise Valley is the disruption caused by short-term rentals in our neighborhoods. They strain our resources – placing additional burdens on our police and other first responders.

State statutes prevent us from directly regulating short-term rentals. Fortunately, however, State law explicitly allows the PV Mayor and Council to protect our citizens and neighborhoods by regulating STRs for the public's health and safety. The proposed code changes will be considered by the Council at its January 27^th meeting.

Outreach and PR efforts were also made throughout the year. For example, at its annual conference in August, the AZ League of Cities and Towns showcased Mayor Bien-Willner and Vice Mayor Stanton who moderated sessions (below) on short-term rentals and tourism recovery post-pandemic, respectively. There were also many media-related efforts including this article by PV Police Sgt. Kelly Ingram about the impact of short-term rentals on the police which ran in the AZ Capitol Times.

Town Continues EPCOR Fight for PV Customers

The Town hired legal services; an expert witness and partnered with PV resorts in 2021 to fight against EPCOR consolidating all eight of its water districts into one fee structure. Consolidation means higher water rates, in some cases up to 56% over a 3-year phase in. The Town met with EPCOR who expressed a willingness to keep EPCOR customers in PV (and Sun City, Sun City West) independent…for now.

General Plan Update Drafted for the August 2, 2022 Ballot

Work continued throughout 2021 on the Town of PV’s State required General Plan Update. Actions taken during 2021:

Community workshops were held starting in January 2021 and throughout the different phases of the Plan.
Community outreach and education using social media, the PV Independent, the Town Reporter, this Weekly Update, info tables at the 60^th Anniversary Party and Car Show, and banners on Lincoln Drive and Invergordon
The draft plan went through several reviews by the Planning Commission and the Council
The 60-review draft plan was published for public comment during the period of November 1 to December 31, 2021

There will be more opportunities for public comment as it again flows through the Planning Commission and Council. Learn more about the General Plan and next steps: www.pvtogether2022.com.

New Artist-in-Residence Named

The PV Arts Board announced its new artist-in-residence is Bobby Lee Krajnik. This PV artist hung her show at Town Hall in October. The show is available to view Monday through Friday, 7:00 am to 4:00 pm (closed from noon to 1:00 pm for lunch). There is no cost to view the show.

(Pictured Below: Mayor Jerry Bien-Willner with Bobby Lee Krajnik and her artwork)

Financial Highlights to Keep PV Taxes Low

Council approved the national opioid epidemic settlement agreement, bringing up to $600,000 to the Town for anti-drug initiatives
Council authorized the Submittal for federal ARPA Funds. The Town of Paradise Valley received half of its allocated $4,888,467. Funds will be used for replacement of public revenue loss, stormwater infrastructure investments, technology backup and cyber security efforts, and partnership with town resorts to analyze and mitigate neighborhood noise.
Town received $2 million in Reimbursement Funds for police-related COVID Expenses
PVPD was awarded two Governor’s Office of Highway Safety grants for $10,000 each
PV Finance team was awarded the Government Finance Officers Association “Triple Crown Award” for the third year running.
Mayor and Council direction has nearly eliminated public safety's unfunded pension. During 2021 the pension rose to 91.6% funded and continues to climb without spending additional taxpayer dollars this past year.

PVPD Highlights: Exceptional Service

In January, 2021 PVPD became the 10^th agency in the state to receive accreditation through the Arizona law Enforcement Accreditation Program (ALEAP). The Paradise Valley Police Department has proven with this accreditation that the Department is compliant with the 175 standards that the ALEAP Commission has adopted. These standards are considered “best practices” for law enforcement agencies in the State of Arizona. The initial accreditation is awarded to agencies for a 4-year period
Paradise Valley Police Commander Freeman Carney was honored by the Arizona Law Enforcement Accreditation Program (ALEAP) as the 2021 Assessor of the Year!
PVPD completed its first year as a NIBRS Certified agency with a zero percent error rate. National Incident-Based Reporting System (NIBRS) is used for collecting and reporting crime-incident data to the FBI.
PVPD purchased 34 Tasers to keep up to date on non-lethal restraints.
BolaWrap training. A BolaWrap has strong cords that wrap around non-compliant individuals for painless compliance
Photo Enforcement Contract continued with American Traffic Solutions.
Training on a new local program in development for residents called Project Lifesaver. Project Lifesaver is the premier search and rescue program operated internationally by public safety agencies and is strategically designed for “at risk” individuals who are prone to the life-threatening behavior of wandering.
Paradise Valley Police Department is one of a few police agencies nationwide offering alarm monitoring services with costs varying from $35 to $50 per month. Since the alarm sounds at dispatch, time is saved, which can make the difference in apprehending a burglar, dispatching the fire department for your fire alarm, or saving a life for a medical alarm.

Five Star

The Town and Five Star Development reached settlement terms on the Ritz-Carlton project:

$2,000,000 granted by Five Star for perimeter road construction, plus a change order crediting the Town $2,122,806 from roadway cost savings and the elimination of the Phoenix main water line from the contract.
$800,000 given to Town to be held in separate account until March 15, 2022
The 150 Hotel guestrooms and other requirements per the Development Agreement are anticipated to start inspections for certificates of completion in Spring 2022.
The full hotel construction schedule is targeted for Q3 of 2022 with the Ritz-Carlton planning on a Q4 opening date.
An intergovernmental agreement was adopted between the Town of Paradise Valley and City of Scottsdale for plan review, permitting, inspection, and maintenance of road and utility improvements at Indian Bend and Scottsdale Rd since this section of the project falls within both jurisdictions.

Additional Community Development (Building, Engineering, Hillside, Planning, and Code Enforcement) Highlights

Over a dozen meetings to get input and feedback, the Town Council approved code clarifications relating to pad heights for non-hillside residential lots to ensure the Town’s unique local environment is maintained.
Sewer and Stormwater Studies
$303,168 contract approved for sewer rehabilitation construction
$23,017.79 design services contract approved for sewer rehabilitation design and construction administration & inspection services
Intergovernmental agreements with Flood Control District of Maricopa County for: Cudia City Wash design concept report; design and construction of the Desert Crest Drive bank stabilization project; and the Solano Drive low water crossing project.
The City of Phoenix has started construction of a new gravity sewer main in 38th Street from Lincoln Drive to Bethany Home Road. The new sewer line will allow for expanded service to Paradise Valley residents in the area.

Mountain Shadows, working with the Town, replaced Oleanders and upgraded landscaping along McDonald and 56th

Public Works Highlights

A northbound right turn lane was installed on 56th Street at Doubletree Ranch Road in June in order to improve traffic flow in the morning and afternoon when Cherokee Elementary School is in session.
The Lincoln Drive resurfacing project was completed on schedule on June 30th! This project included the full mill and asphalt overlay the length of Lincoln, using approximately 5,140 tons of rubberized asphalt.
Public Works Department completed the replacement of over 60 sidewalk ramps to meet current ADA standards (photo to the right)
Working with IT, an app that can be accessed in the field was created showing the location of all storm drains, culverts, back flows, and irrigation valves (photo below)
Public Works staff worked with the Town Traffic Signal Maintenance contractor to create an electronic inventory of all Traffic Signal equipment including locations, component type, model number, serial number, and date of certification.

The Court's New Collections Process

Fines/Fees and Restitution Enforcement (FARE) Program implemented in September. This major project included set-up, integration testing of 120 case transactions, updated Case Management System’s financial and statute tables to comply with FARE requirements, and FARE procedures created for staff and judges. The FARE program is a statewide initiative of the Arizona Judicial branch developed to assist Arizona courts with the compliance of monetary court orders.

Information Technology Highlights

2021 was a major year for internal technology improvements at the Town including email stabilization, security assessment, tightening vulnerabilities, and moving email to the Cloud.

Consequently, the Town now has business continuity (we are more productive technologically with less 'down time'); is more secure and employees better trained for cyber attacks; and we are working on better integrations between the departments and residents in the coming year.

PV Resorts

The Town partnered with a few resorts to quantifying noise impacts on neighborhoods and possible noise attenuations. Mutually supported recommendations reviewed and implementation funding secured and considered by Council.
Four of Paradise Valley’s resorts recognized in Travel + Leisure’s World’s Best Awards: Mountain Shadows, Sanctuary on Camelback Mountain Resort and Spa, The Hermosa Inn, and Omni Scottsdale Resort & Spa at Montelucia.

Other Achievements

The Town of PV turned 60 in 2021! The Historical Committee organized a series of historical articles in the PV Independent and a community celebration at the Camelback Inn.
Approved the revised Historic Property Recognition Program Guidelines. The program, administered by the Historical Advisory Committee, recognizes properties within the Town that were constructed prior to the Town’s incorporation or homes that are at least 50 years old and are historically significant or architecturally unique.
Andrew McGuire of Gust Rosenfeld is serving as the Town Attorney this year.
Rockne Anderson started as the town prosecutor after 12 years as Chief Prosecutor for Casa Grande.
The Veterans Appreciation Car Show was held on Saturday, November 13th. As usual, the event was well-attended and enjoyed by all. Check out the video below to enjoy it all over again
Intergovernmental Agreement negotiated between the Town and City of Phoenix for Fire and Emergency Services
The Town Council adopted Ordinance 2021-05 amending Chapter 8 of the Town to codify current practice and enable the Town to continue to be eligible for Tree City USA designation.
Happy or Not Customer Service surveys implemented for all in-person and virtual customers. (below)

Census 2020

The U.S. Census Bureau released data collected during the 2020 census. While the State population grew 11.9% between 2010 and 2020, Paradise Valley lost population over the last decade from 12,820 in 2010 to 12,658 in 2020. Find out more by visiting the America Counts Arizona page.

Town Employees Giving Back...

As Christmas Angels to Children in Need

Every year, PV Town Employees purchase new gifts for children in need. This year the Engineering Department brought in the most single toys per employee: with 6 employees and 74 toys, it purchased 12.3 toys per employee. The Town Manager’s group came in second with 5.8 toys per employee.

That being said, the children were the real winners. There were 259 NEW toys gathered all together PLUS an additional 20 gifts donated by an anonymous resident that were not counted into the total. The employees give to both Christmas Angels and Forgotten Angels (these are the kids whose tags are not filled or whose tags were taken and never returned to the Salvation Army but they get to pick their own gifts out of a bundle). I am so proud of all of us. Our staff is the best and so supportive every year… so many of our staff (and their wives/families) have way more fun shopping for the kids than you can imagine.

As an extension of this generousity, the Mayor offered an incentive to employees to give, and as the 'winner' the Engineering Department requested a Mayor's donation going to the 100 Club of Arizona whose mission is “to provide financial assistance to families of first responders who are seriously injured or killed in the line of duty and provide resources to enhance their safety and welfare.” The Mayor enthusicatically complied.