The Public Works team was busy behind the scenes preparing for the first in-person Town Council meeting in two years. Public Works had to get back in their well-oiled routine of preparing for meetings.

The Council Chambers were deep cleaned. Chairs were dusted off and set up once again for attendees of the Town Council meeting. Supplies were restocked and ready to go. Door lock timers were adjusted, and janitorial supplies were inventoried and refilled.

The Town Campus was also spruced up and ready for visitors. From the rose garden to the reflection path, every inch was manicured and groomed to welcome Council Members, residents, staff, and visitors to our beautiful campus.

Preparations for the meeting were underway. Town Clerk Duncan Miller put the equipment through a thorough testing to make sure the meeting would run smoothly.

The Boardroom was set up and ready for the executive and study sessions. We even got some spiffy new desk signs that would be easier for those attending to read.

With the stage set the Council arrived. There was definitely a "first day of school" vibe to the room. So, without further ado, here's a summary of the March 24th Town Council Meeting:

Classification and Compensation Study.The Town is conducting a townwide compensation study to ensure our valued staff are being compensated at or above market. Based on Council support and direction, the Police Officers will be the first to receive pay increases with the rest of the town employees compensation reviewed in more detail by Council as part of the budget process. The Council fully supported staff being at or above market and supported the officer pay at 7% above market and converting their pay scale to 3% step increases over eleven years with merit pay on top of that.

Community Services Funding. The annual discussion on community service funding was discussed by Council. The Council directed staff to bring back recommendations and further suggested the Town consider participating in the Maricopa County Regional Homelessness Action Plan, including education, domestic violence and housing security assistance.

Here are excerpts from a happy homeowner...that makes us all happy as well!

I feel so fortunate that we have a real Town Hall with real people working in it. I really had no idea about the permit process and it was so much easier for me to meet with you face-to-face and to speak with Chuck and Don on the phone. I know you deal with experienced contractors all the time but that is not me.

Thank you Chuck, Don, Debbie and Dawn!!

The Town of Paradise Valley is full of residents who are working collaboratively with the Mayor, Vice Mayor, Council, staff and the State legislators to support STR legislation.

On Tuesday, March 22 several PV residents, the Mayor and Vice Mayor attended the Senate Commerce Committee hearing on SB1168. It passed 9-0 out of this Committee! This bill started out to be an 'industry' bill but VRBO and AirBnB have negotated with us about potential amendments that include some of our biggest requests, including the ability of local government, if passed, to issue permits.

As the legislature keeps working, Town staff are focused on implementing our new Town STR code language. Below are pictures of our first training with STR managers. Please be patient as we work with the platforms on changing their required fields and work on our own website, required forms, and creating a new portal that can accept a significant amount of data over time. The coding and development of educational materials, portals and data storage takes time to develop for both the Town, our consultants and the platforms.  As we move through the implementation process we will be communicating with property owners, hosts, renters, property managers and the platforms to make this as easy as possible for everyone.

Photo Above: Citizens (l to r) Susan Edwards, Bill Hunter, and Sandra Scanlan attend a hearing to speak about the effects short-term rentals have had on them and their neighborhoods.

Photo Below (top): Sgt. Kelly Ingram speaking to short-term rental owners

Photo Below (bottom): (left) Commander Freeman Carney speaks about Paradise Valley's new short-term rental ordinance; (right) Community Development Director Lisa Collins with the group

Please join us in welcoming the Town’s new Chief Financial Officer, Lindsey Duncan. Lindsey brings more than 18 years of experience in public finance and local government. For the past 3 years, Lindsey served as the Finance Director for the city of Avondale and most recently as Deputy City Manager. Previously, she held a variety of positions at the city of Surprise including Budget Manager, Assistant Finance Director, and Finance Director.  Her focus is on guiding management and the Town Council in informed decision-making for a sustainable future. She is dedicated to earning the public trust through financial transparency and accountability. Lindsey is honored to join the Paradise Valley team.

Lindsey holds an executive Master’s in Public Administration and a bachelor’s degree in Economics from Arizona State University (ASU). She enjoys mentoring and coaching students, hoping to inspire the next generation of public finance professionals.

Part of what makes the PVPD a quality policing agency is that officers are frequently provided training opportunities to keep their skills sharp and to make sure they are up-to-date with all the current techniques. This week, police officers received training in Defensive Tactics. Topics for the training included body mechanics, control techniques, and handcuffing.

Below Left: Sgt. DiVenti (right) demonstrates a control technique on Officer Phan (center) for Officer Karim (left)

Below Center: Instructor (and PVPD Detective) Hadley demonstrates a body mechanic technique on Sgt. DiVenti

Below Right: Officer Phan (top) works on a ground handcuffing technique on Corporal Unger (bottom).

The February 2022 Police Monthly report will be released on social media and through Alert PV on Monday.

We are please to report that crime numbers in February 2022 decreased significantly versus February 2021. Crimes against persons, and particularly violent crimes against persons continue to be among the lowest per capita in the state of Arizona.

Areas of concern continue to be crimes of identity theft and theft by false pretenses. Residents should be vigilant about sharing personal and banking information, particularly when those requests are through electronic measures (phone/email).

Finally, 92% of collisions during February 2022 occurred on Lincoln Drive or Tatum Boulevard, and the largest causes of those collisions were for speed or failure to yield right of way. Decreasing your speed can reduce your chances of being in a collision by providing you more response time to stop safely. Slower speeds also reduce the damage and injury caused during collisions.

Photo Above Left: The Gallery at Mountain Shadows Curator CeCe Cole talks about their current exhibit, THE ABSTRACT ATHLETE as PV Arts Board Member Colleen Steinberg listens intently.

Photo Above Right: PV Arts Board Members Carol Brecker, Jan Lindell, and Marianne Mallia enjoying the tour at Mountain Shadows

Members of the PV Arts Board toured the current art exhibit at The Gallery at Mountain Shadows. CeCe Cole, The Gallery's curator, gave them a guided tour of the show which is titled THE ABSTRACT ATHLETE.

Arts Board Chair Laura Paquelet-Carpinelli organized the outing not just to view the wonderful art, but as part of a larger goal to build relationships with artists and other arts organizations in Paradise Valley.

THE ABSTRACT ATHLETE is on display at Mountain Shadows through March 31st. A new exhibition titled HEART OF STONE is slated to begin April 13th. This show will feature Phoenix-based artists Lena Klett and Christy Wittmer.

The Mountain Shadows website states: "Modern design and true works of art come together in The Gallery. Explore museum-quality exhibitions, with new works debuted every two months. Don't miss our art opening receptions featuring conversation with the artist paired with complimentary wine from Hearth '61."

Paradise Valley has a rich history in the arts and we encourage you to explore the opportunities available to view and learn about our local artists.

Don't forget, Bobby Lee Krajnik's show is on display at Town Hall and is available to view for free during regular working hours (Monday through Friday, 7:00 am to 4:00 pm).

Photo Right: Artist Bobby Lee Krajnick poses with the new owners of one of her paintings

On April 6th at 7:30 am, the Police Department will host our first post-pandemic, in-person Coffee with a Cop! Paradise Valley has had several near drowning incidents in the past six months. A specialist will discuss drowning prevention tips that can help parents and grandparents.

There will not be a virtual option for this session. The Coffee with a Cop session will take place at the PVPD at 6433 E. Lincoln Dr. Pre-registration is not required and Chief Pete is buying the coffee!

There's still time to register for the PVPD and Paradise Valley Wealth Management, Inc. sponsored Safely Shred event. The event will be held on Saturday, April 23rd from 8:00 am to noon. REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED. Click here to register or you can contact the PVPD at 480-348-3567.

April 4th - Mayor and Council Candidate filing deadline - contact the Town Clerk's Office at

dmiller@paradisevalleyaz.gov for more information

April 5th - Planning Commission, 6:00 pm (location: Town Hall) (canceled)

April 6th - Coffee with a Cop, 7:30 am (location: PVPD Auditorium)

April 6th - Board of Adjustment, 5:30 pm (location: Town Hall)

April 13th - Hillside Building Committee, 8:00 am (location: Town Hall)

April 14th - Town Council Meeting, 3:00 Study Session; 6:00 pm Council Meeting (location: Town Hall)

April 23rd - Shredding Event - Registration Required, 8:00 am to noon, Town Hall parking lot (register here)

April 28th - Town Council Meeting, 3:00 Study Session; 6:00 pm Council Meeting (location: Town Hall)

May 3rd - Planning Commission, 6:00 pm (location: Town Hall)

May 4th - Coffee with a Cop, 7:30 am (location: PVPD Auditorium)

May 4th - Board of Adjustment, 5:30 pm (location: Town Hall)

May 11th - Hillside Committee, 8:00 am (location: Town Hall)

May 12th - Town Council Meeting, 3:00 Study Session; 6:00 pm Council Meeting, (location: Town Hall)

August 2nd - Election Day for Mayor and Council, and General Plan Ratification

Town Directory

Pool Draining Brochure

Sign Up to Receive this Email Newsletter

Traffic Restrictions and Updates