This week, the AZ League of Cities and Towns held its annual conference at the Arizona Biltmore. The Opening General Session was kicked off with the Parade of Flags, carried largely by Mayors, including our Mayor Bien-Willner. Two big topics at the conference were short-term rentals and tourism recovery post-pandemic. Paradise Valley had a very strong showing at this state local government annual conference with both Mayor Jerry Bien-Willner and Vice Mayor Mark Stanton, moderating those sessions respectively.

Mayor Jerry Bien-Willner led a well-attended session on allowing for thoughtful and effective regulations that have proven in both Palm Springs and Denver that local regulations create a healthier and more collaborative short-term rental industry.

Unfortunatley, unlike all other states that honor and protect local control and home rule, the State of Arizona passed SB1350 which prohibits local governments from enacting ordinances to regulate them.

Justin Clifton, Palm Springs city manager and former City Manager of Sedona during its period of attempted Short-Term Rental regulations (in which the State investigated and threatened to eliminate their State Shared Revenue), discussed what Palm Springs has done to help control the negative effects of short-term rentals (see image below).

The following regulations have enabled the Short-Term Rental business to thrive while STR and 'unruly ordinance' calls to its Police Department declined by 90%.

During the session, an op-ed penned by Mr. Clifton was published in the Arizona Capital Times. Mr. Clifton begins his editorial by saying:

"The debate around short-term rental (STR) properties in Arizona has become polarized – a zero sum game. If a local leader calls for regulation, industry advocates will falsely claim that sensible legislation will doom the industry.

"It doesn’t have to be that way. There are many examples of finding balance – where short-term rentals are popular, profitable and thoughtfully regulated – and where common sense replaces vitriolic discussions and partisan attacks.

"Balance does exist."

As we all know, tourism is good for Arizona and for the Town of Paradise Valley. Bed taxes are a main source of revenue for the Town so when our resorts do well, we benefit directly.

Vice Mayor Mark Stanton, who is also the President and CEO of the Scottsdale Area Chamber of Commerce and the self-proclaimed "minister of sunshine," was the ideal person to moderate the panel on post-pandemic tourism.

He was able to effectively stay out of the mosh pit and lead the panelists toward positive and helpful solutions for the tourism industry to fully and effectively recover after the pandemic.

Work on the Town's 2022 General Plan continues.

What is the General Plan? It's the community’s long-range vision for the next 20+ years. The document acts to inform future social, economic, and physical development decisions through the plan’s application. Inclusive of a community vision, goals, policies, maps, and implementation strategies, the General Plan works to address various issues around land use, parks and open space, circulation, growth and the environment.

State law mandates that each city and town in Arizona adopt a “comprehensive, long-range general plan for the development of the municipality.” These plans must also be updated and adopted by voters every ten years. The Town of Paradise Valley’s current General Plan was last ratified by voters in 2012.

The current General Plan Update doesn't plan on changing any of the Town's previous values...and, in fact, the numerous surveys and citizen input have only emphasized the Town's long-held values.

You can learn more about the General Plan and the process surrounding it on PV's General Plan website: www.pvtogether2022.com. Below is a list of upcoming meeting dates where the General Plan will be discussed or acted on.

Voter ratification of the Plan will take place on August 2, 2022.

Monday, September 6th is Labor Day!

In observance of this national holiday, the Post Office will be closed, as will Town Hall. We'll all be back at it first thing Tuesday morning.

This holiday, which celebrates the American worker, offers an opportunity for us to brag on our own employees. About a year ago, Happy or Not kiosks were installed at service counters around the Town Hall complex and on our website. It's taken some time for the data to roll in, but all in all, our Town employees earn high marks for service!

The not-so-high marks are evaluated on a monthly basis and are critical in helping us improve our services and processes. And, as you can see below, we started with high marks and we continued to improve consistently over the past year.

We encourage you to use the Happy or Not evaluation tools available on-site and online to let us know how we're doing!

Did you know the Paradise Valley Police Department offers a service to periodically check on the senior members of our community?

You Are Not Alone (YANA) is a program that can save lives and help individuals with limited mobility, or who have a disability or other circumstance. When you sign up for YANA, you will receive a daily automated call from the Paradise Valley Police Department. If you are fine, you can press "1"; if you need police assistance, you can press "3". The the call is not responded to, the PVPD is informed so they can make additional call or, eventually, an in-person welfare check.

The goal is to help YANA members feel confident while continuing to live on their own. To learn more, please visit our website here.

On the first Wednesday of every month, PVPD hosts its Coffee with a Cop program. This program brings you information to keep yourself, your family, and your home as safe as possible.

On September 1st, Jessie Winter and Joe Shikany from the Arizona Registrar of Contractors gave a presentation about staying safe during remodeling or construction activities.The two main takeaways from the presentation were:

If you missed the presentation, watch for it to be posted soon on the Paradise Valley YouTube site.

The Town of Paradise Valley is hiring a Chief Information Officer. You can read more by clicking the image of the posting below. The closing date to apply is October 15, 2021.

The Town of Paradise Valley Municipal Court is seeking a part-time Court Security Officer to performs duties as an armed court security officer ensuring the safety of all persons at the Paradise Valley Municipal Court. The closing date to apply is September 10, 2021.

Applications will be reviewed as they are received. To be considered, applicants must submit a cover letter, resume and complete the Town of Paradise Valley Job Application located at http://paradisevalleyaz.gov/168/Employment-Opportunities.

September 6th - Labor Day (Town Offices and Post Office Closed)

September 7th - Planning Commission, 6:00 pm via Zoom

September 8th - Hillside Building Committee, 8:00 am via Zoom

September 9th - Town Council Meeting, 6:00 pm via Zoom

September 21st - Planning Commission, 6:00 pm via Zoom

September 23rd - Town Council Meeting, 6:00 pm via Zoom

October 6th - Coffee with a Cop, 7:30 am (location: TBD)

October 5th - Planning Commission, 6:00 pm (location: TBD)

October 6th - Coffee with a Cop, 7:30 am (location: TBD)

October 6th - Board of Adjustment Meeting, 5:30 pm (location: TBD)

October 13th - Hillside Building Committee, 8:00 am (location: TBD)

October 17th - 60th Anniversary Celebration, 2:00 pm, Western Village at Camelback Inn

November 13th - PV Veterans Day Car Show, Town Hall

December 10th - PV Volunteer/Staff Appreciation Event