The Holbrook City Council meeting was held Wednesday, April 24, during which the council held a first reading for an ordinance to make amendments to chapter three of the city’s Public Health and Safety code by adding Article 3-9 Slumlord Enforcement. “I know we’ve had some citizens come to our council meetings with this exact concern about some of the tenant/landlord situations that are going on around town. So, this is to address that,” stated Mayor Kathleen Smith, adding special thanks to City Code Enforcement Officer Barbara Blythe for her work on the ordinance.
The new ordinance will aim to help code enforcement and push slumlords to comply, according to the action form presented. Topics addressed in the ordinance include how to handle dwellings that lack required utilities, such as heating, hot and cold water, electrical and lighting. Vice Mayor Mike Nilsson wanted to add a requirement of property security, such as locks for doors.
Interim City Manager Randy Sullivan explained this first reading was written as parameter for the council to use. “We kind of wrote this in a way of it being more of a guideline for now, and then I really wanted some discussion from you all. That way we could put it into a better code form.”
Councilmember Tim Dixon noted, “There are some residences all throughout Arizona that don’t have utilities, they might have solar for electricity. Some people don’t want electricity. Some people just live their lives by daylight.”
Mayor Smith reminded the council that the item for discussion is for tenant housing and not standard housing. Dixon also stated that the Arizona Landlord and Tenant Act already covers a lot of what was mentioned. Smith replied that other cities, such as Phoenix, have slum property ordinances as well as additional safeguards. “What can we do as a council to help protect the citizens of Holbrook? It has been a concern, and this is why we’re bringing it up.”
Substandard housing conditions are also listed in the ordinance, stating that Code Compliance will be required to inspect every unit at least once every four years for health and safety violations. If violations are noted, they will be submitted for correction by the landlords. Fine and penalties were also noted for landlords who fail to rectify violations.
Councilmember Dixon mentioned concerns of being able to enter premises without allowed entry and how complicated that can be. Mayor Smith replied that they would have to look at state statutes as well as other cities to see how its typically done.
The council determined to table the rest of the conversation for a future work session and instruct administration to edit as needed before final approval.
The council held a second reading and approved an ordinance for a city code change to the Chapter 8, the floodplain chapter. The Planning and Zoning Commission recommends adopting the suggested changes, which are highly suggested by the Arizona Department of Water Resources. Most of the changes were verbiage, with no serious alterations to the code being made.
A resolution was approved by the council ordering an election be held on July 30, 2024, as to whether or not a franchise shall be granted to Arizona Public Service (APS). This resolution is in reference to the Feb. 14 council meeting, where the council approved the renewal of the APS Franchise Agreement, which is a contract to ensure mutual coordination and to help clearly outline the roles of each party. “We did already vote on the agreement. This is just saying that we will now put it on the ballot,” explained Mayor Smith.
APS representative Janet Dean explained that if it does not pass, APS will still be a service provider as decided by the Arizona Corporation Commission. If not passed, “It would just make it more complicated and complex for us to do work to maintain your system,” she stated.
Councilmember Arcenia Pacheco was excused from the meeting.
After the regular meeting, the council held a work session. In the session, the council discussed priority goals for the year and specific issues that will be focused on. The five priorities agreed upon by council were main street revitalization and beautification, street and sidewalks, walking trails, revitalization and development of the clubhouse at Hidden Cove Golf Course and the surrounding areas to include an RV park, and the proposed fishing pond and amphitheater. Conversation on the city’s budget and general plan was also conducted.
