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WINSLOW — Winslow Mayor Tom McCauley called for the creation of an Economic Development Commission during last weeks Winslow City Council meeting.
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The goal of the commission, according to McCauley is to, “act as a local think tank, if you will, about which direction we need to head as a city and to bring back our recommendations to the council.” His idea is to bring together members of the business community and city staff to discuss infrastructure, tax incentives, labor pools and other aspects of starting and running business in Winslow. “If we could use their expertise to grow our city, we should.”
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The commission would be short term, according to McCauley, “Eventually, this will have to go back in to the hands of staff. We are just trying to bring minds together as a think tank. It will be about four to six months.”
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City Attorney Nichole Harris explained, “We would have to put together bylaws and define how many members you would like, just like any other public body. There would be open meeting laws and all to comply with.”
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McCauley also called for the creation of an exploratory committee in the interest of Winslow’s defunct rodeo grounds/multi-use facility. McCauley said, “Last week, the council and staff went out to the grounds for a tour. It is still a great location. All of the steel corrals and infrastructure is still good. The arena itself would need work as well as the grandstands.”
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The exploratory committee would be responsible for figuring out whether the grounds could be viable for use as a rodeo arena again or if money would be better used building a new facility.
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McCauley continued, “If we could put together a committee of people who have expressed an interest, we could figure out the next step. Rodeo used to be a huge deal in Winslow and it could be again.”
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Discussion continued to include the idea that the Standin’ On The Corner Foundation began in much the same way as the exploratory rodeo grounds group and has made huge strides in the rejuvenation of the town. McCauley said, “We could have the same kind of thing here. It could also be catalyst to a better relationship between the city and the Native American community. If we are going to make it happen, we need to stand up and make it happen.
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The motions to create both committees passed unanimously in the absence of Councilman Rickey Jackson.
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The council also heard Winslow City Manager John Barkley’s comments on former manager Steve Pauken’s annual report. In the report, submitted in writing to the council, Pauken gave accolades to city departments and their accomplishments through 2018. Department heads were also invited to contribute to the report with details of their jobs and their goals for 2019.
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Barkley had this to say, “I’m not going to go into too much detail because it is available online and at city hall. I will say that future reports will have more of a benchmark where we are measuring where we were the year before. We invite you to city hall to find out what we do.” The report is available in its entirety on the City of Winslow website, www.winslowaz.gov and at City Hall, located at 21 N. Williamson Ave.
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In other business, the council:
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* Adopted an ordinance annexing 265.42 acres, located east of the city and adjoining Arizona State Highway 87 north and south of Arizona State Highway 99. The annexation documents were recorded in November of 2018 and the proper procedures were followed according to Arizona Revised Statutes.
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* Approved assistance in the amount of $1,000 for the annual Native American Music Festival to be held April 1-2.
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* Approved a hold harmless agreement between the city and Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) and Little Colorado Medical Center.
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* Appointed Winslow City Manager John Barkley and Vice Mayor Bob Schlesinger to the Municipal Property Corporation until November 2020.
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* Approved the financial report for December of 2018. Citywide revenues for the month totaled $1.6 million bringing year to date totals to $3.48 million. Citywide expenditures totaled $1,205,917 bringing year to date totals to $7.2 million.
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The next meeting of the Winslow City Council will be at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 12, in the council chambers, located at 115 W. Second Street.
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