Progress 2009

December 2009

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A look back at the Town of Fountain Hills’ first 20 years and projections about the future.

T HE F OUNTAIN H ILLS

A special section of

TIMES

2 / Fountain Hills Progress

December 2009

Town of Fountain Hills celebrates 20th Reception, program to be held Saturday, Dec. 5 The Town of Fountain Hills celebrates the 20th anniversary of its incorporation on Saturday, Dec. 5, and it will be a celebration in conjunction with other traditional holiday activities in town.

Specifically related to the anniversary event there will be a reception to honor all former elected officials in the town. There are about three dozen. The reception will be held from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m. and include a photo session.

Following a reception there will be a program from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. with comments from each of the town’s former mayors.

The reception and program will take place in the Grand Ball Room in the Community Center.

There will also be a dedication ceremony of the memorial honoring the late Councilman Keith McMahan. The memorial includes a bronze plaque with McMahan’s likeness along with a

depiction of many of the events in the community he helped stage.

Rural/Metro firefighters will be outside the Community Center grilling hot dogs and soda and other drinks are being provided by the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office.

Both agencies will have vehicles on display.

A dedication ceremony will be held Saturday, Dec. 5 for the Keith McMahan m e m o r i a l plaque, a part of the Town’s 20th Anniversary celebration.

! u o Y k n a Th

Mayor Jay Schlum, left, talks with Town Manager Rick Davis about various topics at Town Hall. The Town will have its 20th Anniversary on Saturday, December 5.

Town provides services that give residents a quality lifestyle

By Bob Burns Times Reporter

The staff of the Town of Fountain Hills would like to thank all our residents for letting us serve you! www.fh.az.gov

480-816-5100

Since incorporation in 1989 local government in Fountain Hills has focused on providing citizens with the services they need for a quality, stable, livable community.

Fountain Hills takes pride in and strives to maintain the quality of life that had it ranked by Phoenix Magazine as one of the top places to live in the Phoenix area for two consecutive years.

The community has also received recognition as Arizona’s Best Affordable Suburb, and is also ranked as one of the nation’s most affluent communities.

The basic purpose of a town government is to provide its citizens services on a daily basis.

In the Town of Fountain Hills, municipal government provides resident services and is a source of information for newcomers or other residents who have questions about the community and the town’s neighborhoods, zoning ordinances, Town Code, law enforcement, street maintenance, etc.

The home for government services is at Town Hall located at 16705 Avenue of the Fountains at La Montana Drive. The main phone number is (480) 816-5100; fax number is (480) 8373145.

The Town of Fountain Hills also has an Internet site detailing such information as community resources, events, administration details, employment opportunities, other information, local links and more.

Town Council meetings may be (cont. on page 14)

Fountain Hills Progress / 3

December 2009

CONGRATULATIONS Town of FOUNTAIN HILLS on 20 years of Remarkable Progress Best Place to Live in the Valley – Phoenix Magazine 2006 Best Affordable Suburb – Business Week 2009

The Fountain Hills Chamber of Commerce celebrates 20 years of great partnership with the Town of Fountain Hills – working together to stimulate business vitality and enhance the quality of life in our community: UÊ Õà iÃÃÊ6 Ì> ÌÞÊ `Û Ã ÀÞÊ Õ V Ê­ 6 ®Ê UÊ Ü Ì Ü Ê iÛi « i ÌÊ6 à Ê* > } UÊ Õ Ì> Ê ÃÊ ÀÌÊ V Üi Ê6 Ã Ì ÀÃÊ ÕÀi>ÕÊ UÊ > ÀÊ iÃÌ Û> Ã]Ê Ûi ÌÃÊEÊ Õ ÌÞÊ i iLÀ>Ì ÃÊ

4 / Fountain Hills Progress

December 2009

It took three tries in the 1980s to get community incorporated The road to incorporation wasn’t paved with glitter, rubberized asphalt and lollipops.

No, the battle for local control or self-government was fought between citizens for nearly a decade with letters to the editor, fliers, court petitions, telephone campaigns, public meetings, back-room politics, neighborhood coffees and old-fashioned stump speeches.

The third time proved the charm, as they say, since two previous incorporation elections failed before the December 1989 vote was successful.

The roots of incorporation can be traced back to the 1970s, however, the decade the community of Fountain Hills was born.

Maricopa County was in charge of certain government functions – police protection, maintenance of Shea Blvd., building safety, planning and zoning – but all other services were provided by a myriad of special districts.

The original community developer started Fountain Hills that way, and by the late 1970s there was enough infighting and “us versus them” mentality to cause people to examine the possibility of establishing a municipal government.

The first such election in 1983 evolved more into a “developer against anti-developer” mentality, and those who thought the effort was premature

won out.

Interestingly, none of the incorporation elections were massive mandates.

The 1983 election had 768 votes against incorporation and 651 in favor.

As building steam picked up through the mid-1980s, however, the Civic Association and others still thought there was a better way to go.

The existing Road Districts, for example, were mired in lawsuits and bickering. Miles and miles of roads here were still dirt, and maintenance on existing pavement was pitiful.

Incorporation proponents started examining more closely the municipal revenues that a new town would receive – along with the expenses that would come with self-government.

By the late 1980s, however, more wrinkles came to light. The City of Scottsdale was annexing property left and right, and city officials there were eyeing Fountain Hills parcels as potential commercial cash cows along the McDowell Mountain boundary and Shea corridor.

To conduct incorporation elections, organizers needed the permission of neighboring municipalities.

Efforts really started in late 1984 to bring a second incorporation election to the community, but hassles with annexation of a 405-acre parcel into Scottsdale, a court battle with the City

of Scottsdale and negotiations with officials from that city over a mutually agreeable border prevented those attempts from coming to fruition.

In February of 1988, Scottsdale finally granted permission to conduct a second incorporation here.

That election was held on July 26, 1988 (the summer election date itself drawing plenty of criticism), but the effort failed by a mere 65 votes (1,599 “no” votes to 1,534 “yes” votes).

Undaunted by the loss – and likely buoyed by the narrow margin – by December of 1988 a new committee had been formed to push incorporation.

Chaired by local businessman John Cutillo, this committee was called Fountain Hills Citizens for Self Government.

Throughout 1989, a three-pronged approach evolved out of the political chaos – some said “status quo” was the way to go, others were still pushing for annexation by Scottsdale, and Cutillo’s group stumped hard for incorporation.

Solid financial arguments for incorporation, coupled with waning interest from Scottsdale regarding annexation, likely sealed the deal for self-government.

Remaining as an unincorporated territory under Maricopa County jurisdiction for various governmental functions appeared less viable as Fountain Hills continued to grow in population.

The fateful day was Dec. 5, 1989.

With a 62 percent turnout from eligible voters, the citizens approved selfgovernment with 438 votes to spare, the largest margin among the three incorporation elections.

The final vote tally was 2,100 “yes” votes for incorporation and 1,662 “no” votes.

“It was a very, very busy year for a lot of us with door-to-door brochure deliveries, fundraising activities, public forums and committee meetings,” Cutillo recalls about the year 1989.

“The strength of our campaign was to bring on local government, with the ability to provide increased police protection, an improved parks system and paved and maintained roads.

“We had a budget that showed we could do it, and, most importantly to the campaign, we had more than 100 volunteers who brought that message forward.

“We finally won, and history has proven us right.”

Maricopa County continued to “assist” Fountain Hills for the first six months, but by July 1, 1990, the Town of Fountain Hills was officially on its own.

Barely an infant, the new town government had to hit the pavement running. There was no time to crawl or take baby steps.

And here we are, 20 years later…

We are proud to have provided leadership to our community since its incorporation.

From left: Former Mayors John Cutillo, Jerry Miles, Sharon Morgan, Jon Beydler, Wally Nichols and Current Mayor Jay Schlum.

Fountain Hills Progress / 5

December 2009

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6 / Fountain Hills Progress

December 2009

Incorporation vote passed, then it was time to get busy forming government structure After the votes were counted, and supporters of incorporation had a little party because the community was officially a town, someone probably spoiled the fun by asking, “OK, now what?”

That may not be exactly what happed back in 1989 after the incorporation election for Fountain Hills, but supporters did find out that building a municipal government from scratch is no small task.

Councilwoman Cassie Hansen was around then, and officially became the town’s first employee when she was hired as town clerk. But, before she was a paid employee, she did the job on a volunteer basis for a time.

“We thought while we were working on the incorporation committee that we were pretty well organized,” Hansen said. “We learned there were a lot of details we had not thought of.

“It’s a credit to the (appointed) council that they quickly recognized the need for the formation of subcommittees.”

There were 17 or 18 subcommittees formed with citizens coming forward to volunteer some expertise, or just get involved. The committees covered the details, personnel, insurance, office space, even a logo committee.

Hansen said the Civic Association at the time had several pieces of property

with taxes coming due. They were anxious to deed that property over to the new town.

There was also a Census subcommittee. The 10-year federal census was just a few short months away and an accurate count was vital for the town when it came to allocating funds from state shared revenues.

At that time incorporation supporters were quite certain they could provide the needed services to the town using strictly the funds the town could receive from the state.

Hansen said that as town clerk she was busy preparing for a council election, also due to come up in a few months.

There were resolutions that the council needed to act on related to the election that had to be done quickly.

In the first months there was no office space and Hansen found herself working out of her home. She said interim Town Manager Mike McNulty would come over and work would be done across the kitchen table.

Hansen said she also spent some time on the road visiting other towns.

There were details to figure out such as how to write the agenda for a Town Council meeting and what official forms the town would need to have to

Instrumental in getting incorporation accomplished and then working hard to get things running were, from left, the town’s first Mayor John Cutillo, current Vice Mayor Cassie Hansen who was the town’s first employee as town clerk, and former Maricopa County Supervisor Jim Bruner who named the town’s first council. operate. She got this information by vis- set up shop in about half of Building C iting clerks at other communities such in the MCO complex.

“We liked that option because it as Carefree and Cave Creek.

One of the town’s first controversies would be easy to expand as the town centered on where to get office space. grew,” Hansen said.

One of the first issues with the new Mayor John Cutillo advocated the use of the old library site, which was one office space was furniture and equipof the Civic Association properties the ment. They early on were using typewriters, until Peter Putterman offered town inherited.

Cutillo liked the idea that the town the use of one computer. Putterman owned the building and would not was eventually employed by the town have to pay rent. However, the building as its IT specialist.

The town would eventually grow was simply too small.

The library had relocated to space to use all three of the buildings in that in one of the three buildings owned by complex before moving into the current MCO Properties at the time, and the de- Town Hall building in 2005.

The council held its first meetings veloper also offered the town space in the same building – rent free for the first in the School District’s Administration Building. couple of months.

The council accepted the offer and (cont. on page 13)

Here are some familiar faces around Town Hall over the years...

Paul Nordin was the first permanent town manager hired by the town. Nordin served from 1990 until 2002.

Tim Pickering began work as town manager in 2003 and served until 2007.

Bill Farrell was the town’s first legal counsel serving from 1990 until 2002.

Andrew McGuire is current town attorney serv-ing since 2002.

Bev Bender has served as town clerk since 2003. She has worked for the town since 1994.

Steve Gendler was Fountain Hills Town Marshal from 1992 to 2002.

Gary Jeppson was the Town’s first planning director, serving in that position from 1990 to 1998.

Stuart Shoob was the town’s first municipal court judge starting in 1990. He retired in 2002.

Ted Armbruster was hired to serve as municipal court judge to replace Shoob, and he is still serving.

Pat Harvey took over supervision of the street department for the town in 1990 and retired in 2001.

Tom Ward has worked for the town since 1992 and served as public works director since 2003.

Robin Goodman was the town’s first director of Parks and Recreation.

Mark Mayer started as Parks and Recreation director in 2001 and continues on that job today.

Richard Turner has headed Planning and Zoning for the town since 2005.

Fountain Hills Progress / 7

December 2009

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December 2009

Six have served as Mayor When Fountain Hills was incorporated the mayor was not elected independently of the Town Council. Beginning with the first council appointed in 1990 the mayor was selected by council members from among their ranks.

John Cutillo, who headed the committee pushing for incorporation, was appointed to the council and then named the first mayor of the community.

It was under Cutillo that the town first established itself with its own codes and zoning regulations.

It was 1994 that the mayor was first selected by the voters and Cutillo received the citizens’ endorsement for a two-year term as elected mayor. He served until 1996.

In 1996, Jerry Miles, a real estate and development attorney transplanted from California was elected mayor.

Under Miles, growth and development issues came to the forefront. This included a number of multi-family condominium and apartment projects.

Also, a proposal to form a charter city was presented to the voters and rejected.

Sharon Morgan, the first woman to serve as the town’s mayor, was elected in 1998.

Morgan worked, and still does, as the events coordinator for the Chamber of Commerce.

Her tenure as mayor was marked

by continued growth and the efforts to balance growth and land use concerns.

Morgan served two, four-year terms and during that time the town did much of the work to acquire more than 700 acres of land in the McDowell Mountains for a Preserve. Voters approved a bond issue for the purchase.

It was under Morgan that the Town Council made the controversial and highly divisive decision to take over providing fire service effectively abolishing the existing Fire District.

In 2002 Morgan was challenged by a boisterous and controversial businessman, Jon Beydler.

Beydler’s outspoken demeanor and controversial ideas marked him for a short term as mayor.

Beydler proposed the idea of digging canals in the downtown to create a “Venice of the West.”

He was also frequently in confrontations with Fountain Hills resident and Maricopa County’s own controversial Sheriff, Joe Arpaio.

Beydler was the target of a recall effort a year after he was elected and in 2003 was voted out of office.

Defeating Beydler in the recall was Wally Nichols, a retired business executive with a soft spoken, easy going manner – the antithesis of Beydler.

Nichols’ focus was on planning.

Under his leadership the town developed a Strategic Plan as a tool for fiscal

Our Mayors The entire history of the Town of Fountain Hills the past 20 years can be found in the administrations of the six mayors who have served the local government. The six gathered earlier in 2009 for a keepsake photograph in Fountain Park. The Fountain Hills mayors, standing in the order in which they served, include, from left, John Cutillo, Jerry Miles, Sharon Morgan, Jon Beydler, Wally Nichols and current Mayor Jay Schlum. planning based on citizen input and desires.

Nichols is to date the community’s most popular mayor being elected to two additional two-year terms without a challenger.

Nichols left office in 2008 by his own choice.

Jay Schlum, a member of the Town Council, who had just completed a four-year term, stepped up to run for the mayor’s office. He was challenged

by former Mayor Jerry Miles in that election.

With Nichols’ support, Schlum was the victor and is just completing a twoyear term as mayor.

The youngest mayor to date in Fountain Hills, Schlum appeals to the interests of a younger generation making the town open to addressing the concerns of young families.

Schlum’s term expires in 2010 and he is seeking re-election.

And 32 other citizens have served on council Soon after the results of the 1989 incorporation election were known as many, as 60 residents applied to sit on the first Town Council for Fountain Hills.

The first seven were interviewed and selected by Jim Bruner, Fountain Hills’ representative on the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. The board ultimately approved the appointments.

The first council appointed by the supervisors included Harry Barber, Joe Bill, John Cutillo, Charlie Fox, Dick Haugen, Marti Lemieux and Mike Minarsich.

Harry Barber was a retired advertising executive who opposed incorporation and wanted to act as a “watchdog” during the organization of town government. He served from January 1990 to May 1990.

Joe Bill was a transplant from Minnesota who was an assistant administrator for Mayo Clinic. He supported incorporation and sought to lend his

organizational and administrative skills to starting the town government.

He served from January 1990 to May 1990.

John Cutillo was a retired commercial businessman who chaired the incorporation campaign that was ultimately successful. The early council selected the mayor from among its ranks and Cutillo served as the town’s first mayor from 1990 to 1994. He was the first elected mayor in 1994 and served until 1996.

Charlie Fox was employed by McDonnell Douglas aircraft in a budget capacity. He brought this expertise to the incorporation committee and ultimately to the first council. He served from 1990 to 1993.

Dick Haugen was a transplant from Minnesota and worked as hotel/resort manager and was a supporter of Fountain Hills annexation into Scottsdale.

He served from January 1990 to May 1990. (cont. on page 10)

The first Town Council

Fox

Cutillo

Barber

Bill

Haugen

Lemieux

Minarsich

Fountain Hills Progress / 9

December 2009

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10 / Fountain Hills Progress

Council (cont. from page 8) Marti Lemieux was another Minnesota transplant who was employed as an insurance claims adjuster. She was and remains to this day a busy volunteer and active in civic activities.

She served from January 1990 to May 1990.

Mike Minarsich was an Arizona native who relocated his business to Fountain Hills in 1987. He was involved with the Citizens for Self Government campaign for incorporation.

He served from 1990 to 1994.

In March 1990 the town held its first council election with those elected taking office in June 1990. Cutillo, Fox and Minarsich were retained for full terms. Those joining them as the first elected council were Frank Clark, Wally Hudson, Bill O’Brien and Peg Tibbetts.

Frank Clark was a retired auto executive who served on the council from 1990 to 1996.

Wally Hudson was an insurance executive who served on the council from 1990 to 1996.

Bill O’Brien was a physician who served on the council from 1990 to 1998.

Peg Tibbetts was one of the town’s earliest residents, a civic leader and volunteer. She served on the council from 1990 to 1996.

Subsequent council members include: Don Lawrence who served from 1993 to 1998 is pastor at Christ’s Church in Fountain Hills. He was appointed to fill a seat vacated by the resignation of Charlie Fox. Marianne Wiggishoff served from 1994 to 2000. She was a former advertising executive. She also served on the Fountain Hills Neighborhood Property Owners Association architecture committee.

Sid Apps, a local chiropractor in Fountain Hills served on the council from 1996 to 2000.

Al Poma was a restaurant owner in Fountain Hills. He served from 1996 to 2000.

Penfield Mower served from 1996 to 2000. He was a retired sales and marketing manager in the chemical industry.

Sharon Hutcheson was a member of the Planning and Zoning Commission and led an effort for more restrictive subdivision and zoning ordinances. She served on the Town Council from 1998 to 2002.

John Wyman, a retired Marine Corps officer and businessman served

December 2009 from 1998 to 2002.

John Kavanagh served as a Port Authority of New York police officer and is now a criminal justice educator.

He served on the council from 2000 to 2006, and is now a member of the Arizona House of Representatives.

John McNeil is a utility attorney and preservation activist. He served from 2000 to 2002.

Susan Ralphe was a community preservation activist who served from 2000 to 2006.

Leesa Stevens was a community preservation activist and served from 2000 to 2006.

Mike Archambault is a long-time community business man and cabinet maker. He was elected in 2002 and is still a council member.

Rick Melendez is a retired business man with dual citizenship in El Salvador and the U.S. He served on the council from 2002 to 2004 and is currently Honorary Consul for his native El Salvador.

Kathleen Nicola served from 2002 to 2005. She was a local Realtor and died in office following a boating accident.

Ed Kehe is a retired educator and community activist. He served on the council from 2004 to 2008.

Keith McMahan served from 2004 to 2009. He was a long-time resident who held elective office on the Road Districts and Unified School District Board. He died soon after being elected to his second term on the council.

Jay Schlum is a business management executive. He served on the Planning and Zoning Commission before being elected to the council where he served from 2004 to 2008. He was elected mayor in 2008.

Ginny Dickey is employed by the State of Arizona and is active in policy at the state level. She served several years on the Unified School District board before being elected to the Town Council in 2006.

Henry Leger is a business management consultant. He was elected in 2006 and continues to serve.

Dennis Contino is a business advocate and activist and was elected to the council in 2008 to a term that expires in 2012.

Cassie Hansen was the town’s first employee and worked as Town Clerk for more than a decade. She was elected to the council in 2008 and serves to present.

Dennis Brown is a building contractor and served as former chairman of the Planning and Zoning Commission. He was appointed in 2009 to fill the remaining term of Keith McMahan.

Clark

Hudson

O’Brien

Tibbetts

Lawrence

Wiggishoff

Apps

Poma

Mower

Hutcheson

Wyman

Kavanagh

McNeill

Ralphe

Stevens

Archambault

Melendez

Nicola

Kehe

McMahan

The current Town Council and Mayor of Fountain Hills. Members are, seated from left, Mike Archambault, Mayor Jay Schlum and Henry Leger. Standing, from left, are Ginny Dickey, Dennis Brown, Dennis Contino and Cassie Hansen.

Fountain Hills Progress / 11

December 2009

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12 / Fountain Hills Progress

December 2009

5 have been a part of Town staff since early days If Fountain Hills has had success during its first 20 years as an incorporated community it can be attributed largely to the people who have been working for the town during that time.

Of the approximately 80 people working for the Town of Fountain Hills today, there is a handful who have been here since near the beginning.

In July 1990, the beginning of its first full fiscal year in existence, the town absorbed the old Road Districts into its own street department. With the districts came the employees also, two of whom are still working for the town, Steve Calhoon and Greg Elco.

About a month later, in August 1990 the council decided they needed someone to balance the checkbook and Julie Ghetti was hired as an accountant.

Today, Ghetti is not only one of the longest tenured employees, she is one of the highest ranking. She holds the position of deputy town manager and finance director.

The next summer, in June 1991, Lari Bratcher was hired as the assistant to then town clerk and now Councilwoman Cassie Hansen, and Randy Harrel was hired as town engineer to oversee the project to pave the streets in Fountain Hills.

Today, Harrel still oversees engineering for the town and Bratcher was a building permit technician until informed in mid-November that she was being laid off along with several other employees due to town budget cuts.

When Ghetti started there were just 10 employees on board at the time. She has no regrets about being here two decades later.

“I love the work, I love the community,” Ghetti said.

She believes the incorporation of Fountain Hills added considerable value to the community, that and approval of a bond issue for a high school, and the result was a growth explosion that doubled the population from 10,000 for the 1990 Census to 20,000 in 2000.

“It is my personal opinion that incorporation added value that made the community a more desirable place to live,” Ghetti said.

There are numerous improvements in the town that may be a direct result of incorporation, Ghetti believes.

Those include the street paving project, the developer, MCO Properties, donated land for parks, including the donation of Fountain Park and also taxpayer support of amenities like the library as well as Mountain Preserve land.

There is also the construction of facilities in the cultural complex that include the Library/Museum, Community Center and Town Hall, according to Ghetti.

“The government has done well as

the steward of the environment and community,” she said. “I wouldn’t be as passionate about any other community.”

Bratcher came to Fountain Hills in 1982 when there were about 3,400 people living here. She said there was a lot of excitement about incorporation.

“The whole thing was a grass roots effort,” Bratcher said. “It has been a great opportunity to see a town grow from the ground up.”

While Bratcher was first hired as executive assistant to the town clerk, she had previously worked for the developer’s committee of architecture. She was eventually moved to the town’s building safety department based on her previous job experience.

Her familiarity with the county zoning codes also made her an asset to the first Planning and Zoning Commission.

Bratcher also volunteered with the town Marshal’s Department during her long tenure. She became the first certified female officer in the community.

Bratcher remembers the hard work getting things started as a young town.

“The early team did a heck of a job,” she said. “It was a wonderful experience.

“It was a close knit group knowing we were all in it together.”

Despite her layoff, just prior to this publication going to press, Bratcher said she had fond memories of working for the town.

Harrel came on in the summer of 1991 as the town was gearing up for a major project to pave the streets in town.

“It was the first major project of any kind by the town,” Harrel said. “It is still the largest to date.”

The cost of the project was $4 million and 120 streets were paved totaling 11 miles of asphalt. The $4 million in bonds for the project will be paid off this year.

By comparison, Harrel notes that the proposed project to add one climbing lane, a bike land, curb and sidewalk to less than a mile of Shea Boulevard will cost about the same.

The growth also brought a number of major subdivision projects for Harrel to oversee also, in particular SunRidge Canyon and then FireRock Country Club.

Along with the growth, Fountain Hills brought its own challenges for engineering, according to Harrel.

“This is a lot different than other Valley communities,” he said. “There is significant terrain, a lot of rock outcropping, no underground drainage and expansive soil.”

The town also has significant surface drainage with washes and detention dams for flood control.

“In one fell swoop we went from be-

Town employees with nearly 20 years working for the town include, from left, Town Engineer Randy Harrel, Building Permit Technician Lari Bratcher and Deputy Town Manager Julie Ghetti. ing pretty minimal as a town to having a lot of jurisdictional items to look after,” Harrel said.

In 1997 MCO turned over Fountain Park, along with its technical equipment, to the town. As town engineer, Harrel was in charge of the Fountain for about a year before Parks and Recreation took it over.

Harrel said the street department the town inherited from the Road Districts was in his word “abysmal.”

“We had a good core of personnel, but their equipment was heavily used when they got it,” Harrel said.

Elco and Calhoon offer no argument to that assessment.

Elco, who arrived in Fountain Hills in 1978 went to work for the Road Districts in 1980. He noted that much of the equipment the district had was second hand bought at surplus auctions. He said it was not unusual to purchase two pieces of type of equipment and use one for parts.

Elco said that was true of an early street sweeper the districts had, as well as some heavier equipment like a dump truck.

Before incorporation the primary job of the street department was dust con-

trol and grading.

“Before paving many of the streets had to be graded after every rain storm,” Elco said. “It seems like it rained more then. We were always out doing storm clean-up in the early days.”

Working for the Road District required a lot of cross training, Calhoon said.

“We had to maintain our own equipment,” he said. “We had to swap out engines, transmissions, anything.

“If it was the vehicle assigned to your crew you were supposed to do the maintenance. We had to fabricate a lot of equipment.

“We once built a dump truck from a sweeper.”

Incorporation meant a lot of changes in the street department.

“It has been the improvements in technology over the years that have made the biggest difference,” Elco said.

“There is an emphasis on safety with traffic control and barricading, we have to comply with minimum standards.”

“The equipment and technology has been the biggest difference in making the job easier,” Calhoon said. “Now the cross training is learning to use computers.”

Greg Elco, left, and Steve Calhoon began working for the town as soon as the town took over the street operations from the old Road Districts.

Fountain Hills Progress / 13

December 2009

Items sought for new one

Time capsule to be opened Fountain Hills residents celebrating the 50th anniversary of the town’s incorporation will be able to look back in time to see what the community was like in 1989 when a time capsule buried 20 years ago will be opened at Saturday’s celebration.

As that will be opened, Town staff is already making plans for a new 2009 time capsule.

The Town of Fountain Hills is asking residents for help on what to put in this time capsule, which will be

opened in 2039 on the 50-year anniversary of the town’s incorporation.

Some examples of needed objects include a Fountain Hills Falcons 2009 yearbook, a Blackberry or other kind of high-tech item, a set of coins minted in 2009, a map of Fountain Hills, local restaurant menus, popular music, 2009 fashions/clothing, and current event items both local and global.

Time capsule donations can be made at Town Hall now through Dec. 31.

Start-up

based on.

“The first council was really on task,” Hansen said. “There were a number of people who did come to the meetings. “(The meetings) were more open, people didn’t hesitate to participate in the conversation.

“Many of them had been involved in incorporation.”

Looking back, Hansen said Maricopa County Supervisor Jim Bruner did a terrific job selecting the first council members. “(Bruner) deserves a lot of credit selecting the people he did,” Hansen said.

“They came from varied backgrounds and had a very high level of commitment.”

(cont. from page 6) And meet they did. According to Hansen the council held more than 30 meetings in the five months before the first officially elected council took over.

That did not include the numerous meetings that the subcommittees held, and council members served on those committees also.

Among the business at hand was the adoption of a Zoning Ordinance – the first one was adapted from the Maricopa County ordinance, which early development in the community was

Back in the day, Mayor John Cutillo and School Superintendent Walt Dunne, above, manned the massive ropes to bury the time capsule in Fountain Park near Saguaro Blvd.

Just recently personnel from the Street and Parks and Recreation departments worked together to unearth the old capsule. Its contents from nearly 20 years ago will be unveiled at a special ceremony a t t h e C o m mu n i t y C e n t e r o n Saturday afternoon, Dec. 5, to help commemorate the 20th anniversary of incorporation.

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Services (cont. from page 2) viewed live on the Internet. The Web site may be accessed at www.fh.az. gov. The town also operates the government access channel on Cox Cable Channel 11. The cable access features a variety of public programming as well as Town Council meetings and other public meetings. The specific daily schedule may be found on the town’s Web site.

December 2009 Here is a brief description of each town department and the responsibilities of each.

Mayor and Town Council The town’s elected officials are responsible for establishing the policies of the town and setting the budget to implement those policies. Listed are the current council members and the year their term ends, and council appointed staff are as follows: Mayor Jay Schlum (‘10) Councilman Mike Archambault (‘10)

Congratulations We are proud to be a part of the Town of Fountain Hills for the past 20 years and look forward to many more!

Councilman Dennis Brown (‘12) Councilman Dennis Contino (’12) Councilwoman Ginny Dickey (‘10) Councilwoman Cassie Hansen (‘12) Councilman Henry Leger (‘10) Town Manager - Rick Davis Town Attorney - Andrew McGuire Town Magistrate - Ted Armbruster The first town manager, hired on an interim basis to help with the transition to becoming a town, was Mike McNulty.

Paul Nordin was the first town manager hired by the council on a permanent basis.

Bill Farrell was hired as the first town attorney, a job he held until 2002, when current Town Attorney Andrew McGuire was hired.

Administration The town manager oversees operations with the help of key staff including deputy town manager/finance director, town clerk, administrative assistants, etc.; who are responsible for day-to-day operations, computer services, record keeping, data entry, licensing, payroll, accounting, Town Council administrative duties, facility management, loss control, etc.

Cassie Hansen, who is now a council member and current vice Mayor, was the first town clerk for Fountain Hills, for more about her recollec-

proud to be growing with Fountain Hills by providing scholarships, funding for classroom projects and training and support for the Fountain Hills Mentor Program.

On behalf of The Fountain Hills PTO, the board of directors congratulates the Town of Fountain Hills on its 20th Anniversary of incorporation.

We are pleased to be a part of this vibrant community supporting our schools, students, teachers and families. The PTO has a long history in Fountain Hills and appreciates the services provided by the Town.

We wish the Town continued success and look forward to a long, productive partnership.

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tions of the job see separate story. Bev Bender is the current town clerk.

Public Works The town’s Public Works Division includes the Engineering and Street departments, as well as facilities and open space maintenance.

Tom Ward is public works director. Engineering performs all civil engineering for the Street Department and related tasks; inspects and approves new construction in town such as streets, sidewalks, subdivision grading, etc.; coordinates with Community Development Department on plan reviews for such things as hillside, drainage, flood control, subdivisions, re-plats, etc. Randy Harrel is town engineer. The Street Department maintains all public streets, alleys, rights-of-way and traffic-related equipment; erects and maintains appropriate street and traffic signage; provides traffic control signage and other equipment for special events, etc.

The late Pat Harvey was supervising the Road Districts at the time of incorporation and was the town’s first street supervisor.

Planning and Building safety Planning and Building Safety is responsible for short and long-term planning and zoning; enforces Zoning Ordinances; reviews zoning cases brought forth by developers and other property owners; oversees the Building Safety Department; provides staff for Planning and Zoning Commission and Board of Adjustment (variances to Zoning Ordinances).

The town’s code enforcement bureau operates within this department. Richard Turner is the current planning and zoning director. Gary Jeppson was the original director for the department.

Building Safety oversees all new construction and major additions and remodels; ensures local safety codes are met for electrical, plumbing, mechanical, structural requirements, etc.; has no architectural or aesthetic control. Peter Johnson is building official.

Municipal Court The Municipal Court hears nonfelony cases generated within Fountain Hills, primarily traffic-related offenses; also hears other misdemeanor cases, some criminal, and it issues orders of protection and restraining orders.

The court has jurisdiction over ordinance violations cited in the community. The court is also home to one of several Teen Court programs in (cont. on page 15)

Fountain Hills Progress / 15

December 2009

Services (cont. from page 14) Maricopa County. The Honorable Ted Armbruster is presiding judge. He is just the second person to hold the job.

The town’s first magistrate was the Honorable Stuart Shoob.

Parks and Recreation Parks and Rec coordinates many local recreational and leisure programs, activities and sports leagues for preschoolers, youths, adults, families and seniors; responsible for public park planning, construction and maintenance; staff contact for Parks and Recreation Commission.

The department also schedules events and activities in Fountain Park and the Fountain Hills Community Center. Mark Mayer is Parks and Recreation director. Robin Goodman was the first director for the Parks and Recreation Department, overseeing a department that developed several major parks, including Golden Eagle, making good use of grant funding.

Citizen commissions The Town Council appoints citizens to several panels, including the

Planning and Zoning and Parks and Recreation commissions, Board of Adjustment, McDowell Mountain Preservation Commission, Community Center Advisory Commission, Public Safety Advisory Commission, Senior Services Advisory Commission and the Strategic Planning Advisory Commission.

All of these commissions meet on a regular basis in public meetings. The sessions are scheduled regularly as follows: Town Council meets the first and third Thursday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at Town Hall’s council chambers.

Planning and Zoning Commission meets the second and fourth Thursday of the month at 6:30 p.m. at Town Hall.

The Parks and Recreation Commission meets the second Monday of the month at 5:30 p.m. at Town Hall.

The Board of Adjustment meets on an as-needed basis the third Tuesday of the month at 6:30 p.m., also at Town Hall.

The McDowell Mountain Preservation Commission meets the first and third Tuesday of the month at 5:30 p.m. at Town Hall.

The Community Center Advisory Commission meets the third Monday

Town serves its senior citizens According to a statistical analysis released by the Town of Fountain Hills in 2007, the percentage of the population over the age of 60 is roughly 26 percent.

Fountain Hills has always had an active and interested senior population resulting in the town establishing a Senior Services Advisory Commission a couple of years ago.

The town has been able to provide space for seniors to get together for ac-

of each month at 3:30 p.m. at the Community Center.

The Senior Services Advisory Commission meets the fourth Monday of each month at 3:30 p.m., at the Community Center.

The Public Safety Advisory Commission meets at Town Hall quarterly at a time and date to be announced.

The Strategic Planning Advisory Commission meets monthly as coordinated with members.

All public meetings are posted with agenda at least 24 hours prior to the scheduled time.

tivities ranging from basic social gatherings for card games or woodcarving, to lectures and day trips.

The seniors first set up shop in the Sunset Kiwanis building on Kiwanis Drive. It was the base for the special transportation services as well as Home Delivered Meals.

The growing membership in Senior Services prompted a move to space in one of the buildings the town was leasing for Town Hall around 2000.

The group stayed there until the town moved out into its own building in 2005. At that time the seniors had the option of using space at the new Town Hall building or moving into the Community Center.

The group decided it made more sense to move into the Community Center where other activities and events the seniors were interested in were taking place.

The town took over management of Senior Services about 2007.

Although it has long been a desire of the group, whether the future holds a stand-alone senior center for the town remains to be seen.

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December 2009

Issues have been addressed by councils, staff There were plenty of “issues” before Fountain Hills became incorporated, and of course there have been more than enough top issues the past 20 years since that fateful election.

Here is a compilation of major issues confronting the Town of Fountain Hills since 1989.

McDowell Mountains In government’s quest to establish a mountain preserve, there was plenty of angst in town about the cost per acre, how much land should be acquired, how much of the hillsides could really be developed by MCO Properties, etc.

There were various threats of lawsuits, condemnation proceedings, stalled negotiations, etc.

The town ended up spending about $13 million overall to purchase mountain land from MCO, and today the Fountain Hills McDowell Mountain Preserve boasts 950 acres (not all of it purchased) and many trails; a major trailhead will be built once Adero Canyon is developed in the future.

Mayoral recall Various councilmembers have resigned over the years for differing reasons, but the only municipal recall election to date was held in 2003 when then Mayor Jon Beydler faced a landslide of controversies.

Beydler was challenged by Wally Nichols, and Nichols went on to easily win and serve two additional two-year terms.

State Trust Land Approximately 1,300 acres of stateowned land was always sandwiched between Fountain Hills and McDowell Mountain Regional Park to the north.

Incorporation didn’t change that fact, but many residents always assumed the vacant land was park land, which was incorrect.

Various attempts were made over the years to purchase or preserve the land before it went to public auction, but Ellman Cos. purchased the land for development a few years ago.

Opponents sought a referendum election against the town zoning, but those efforts failed. The developer has approval to build more than 1,000 residential units on the property, but the economy and earlier referendum actions have stalled development efforts.

General Plan One of the requirements from the state of Arizona for municipalities is that they have a General Plan.

Fountain Hills adopted such a plan soon after incorporation, although it was essentially a mirror of the existing

zoning already in place here prior to incorporation.

The plan has undergone some revisions since then, and the town is currently undertaking more revisions that will be voted on by the public in 2010.

The General Plan is a broad-based document intended to guide future development and planning in town.

Strategic Plan For many years the town didn’t have a “Strategic Plan,” but then Mayor Wally Nichols, who had an extensive corporate background, launched a movement to initiate a Strategic Plan.

The plan is more specific than a General Plan, for example, and is intended to guide the Town Council in making financial decisions and capital improvement plans with an eye toward the future.

Vision Plan The latest version of planning to come to Fountain Hills, much time was spent on formulating a “Vision Plan” for the downtown area.

Although not a formal planning document yet, it is intended to be part of a plan to show potential developers what Fountain Hills wants its downtown to look like.

The plan splits the downtown into nine “districts,” and probably the most visible change was adding development along the east side of Saguaro Blvd. in Fountain Park and shifting an entertainment center or complex to an area near Verde River Drive and Palisades Blvd.

Downtown A large swatch of commercial dirt still stands bare on the south side of Avenue of the Fountains. Various potential developers have put the property in escrow and proposed a variety of mixed-use development plans (condos, offices, retail, movie theater, restaurants, etc.) but none has come to fruition.

Meanwhile, development north of Avenue of the Fountains has been spotty, with much infill remaining. The town spent a considerable amount of money fixing up the Avenue’s north side – sidewalk, lighting, landscaping, seating areas, etc. – but little work has yet been done in the median, which may yet be done in the future.

Streets When Fountain Hills incorporated in December of 1989, there were many existing residential streets that were still dirt.

A 1991 bond package approved by voters took care of those streets, and developers were responsible for taking care of the rest when they would build subdivisions, etc.

For decades, however, debates over street paving and maintenance raged in the Hills amid the Road Districts.

Road Districts Speaking of Road Districts, they were established as special districts when Fountain Hills was initially developed in the early 1970s.

They proved to be a major source of in-fighting, however, along with volatile disagreements and lawsuits with the developer, between citizens, etc.

Their financing source was limited as well, putting a major crimp on maintenance project and necessary equipment purchases.

A state law was eventually passed that would allow a municipality to dissolve a road district.

One of the first orders of business for the new Town of Fountain Hills was dissolving the four Road Districts here and taking over their personnel and operations.

Community Center One of the major capital improvements done by the town over the years was building the new Community Center.

It was financed through revenue bonds, however, which are paid back by sales tax proceeds.

The town also swapped land to obtain the parcel at Avenue of the Fountains and La Montana Drive, today’s home of the Town Hall, Community Center and Library/Museum complex.

The former Community Center was given for use by the Fountain Hills Community Theater.

Library/Museum Financed by a voter-approved bond package, the Fountain Hills Branch Library and adjacent L. Alan Cruikshank River of Time Museum serve as a fine complement to the nearby Community Center and Town Hall complex.

There is additional land owned by the town, which at one time was envisioned to contain an outdoor amphitheater and performing arts center.

A parking garage had been proposed there at one time as well.

Those types of decisions will be made by future Town Councils.

The branch library is actually operated by the Maricopa County Library District. The museum is operated by the Fountain Hills & Lower Verde Valley Historical Society.

Town Hall The town’s offices were originally set up in one building of the threebuilding complex housing the community developer along Palisades Blvd.

A decision was eventually made to build a new Town Hall, with advocates saying it would actually save the town money. Again, revenue bonds were used to finance construction, not voterapproved bonds.

Disputes with the former landlord at the Palisades complex proved costly to the town, however, as it lost a major lawsuit.

Lawsuits It is not uncommon for a municipality to be juggling several lawsuits at one time, since often times public entities and the decisions they make are prone to controversy and legal disputes.

The town has lost a fair share of high profile lawsuits over the years, however, prompting some controversy from citizens the past 20 years.

Zoning/Subdivisions Through the 1990s and into the new decade, just about every subdivision and zoning change that came before the Town Council faced some kind of opposition.

Such projects as SunRidge Canyon, FireRock Country Club and a myriad of small developments faced criticism.

Several vocal citizens in town over the years have opposed changing “the rules” for developers and generally wanted the town to not have “cookie cutter” neighborhoods. In most cases, the proposed zoning changes had less density than what the original zoning allowed.

Target center The proposed Target center (officially Four Peaks Plaza) also faced opposition from neighbors, and they successfully petitioned for two separate referendum elections.

Voters in each instance backed the project, and construction then proceeded.

The center has had some tenant turnover, but the major anchors of Target, Pier One, Petco and others still remain since day one.

The KFC/A&W restaurant closed this fall, however.

Signs The Town of Fountain Hills has had to deal with signage many times the past 20 years.

Different sign codes have been ad(cont. on page 17)

Fountain Hills Progress / 17

December 2009

Issues (cont. from page 16) opted over the years in an attempt to codify what is allowed and what is not.

Some of the more vexing areas have included A-frame signs, banners and flags, temporary signage, open house signs, neon, garage sale signs, etc.

Fire District One of the more controversial issues the past 20 years was the council decision to dissolve the Fire District and take over fire service operations.

The district was a separate government entity, with its own funding sources, and was in the process of forming its own fire department and not contracting for personnel with the privately-held Rural Metro Corp.

The town took over operations, however, prompting various lawsuits and disputes, and Fountain Hills still contracts with Rural Metro today for fire and emergency medical services.

Sales, property taxes The Town of Fountain Hills did institute its own sales tax in the municipality as a funding source for the Gen-

eral Fund.

The Town Council can by itself institute and increase the sales tax rate – no vote of the public is needed.

A bed tax also was instituted, various charges are made against utility bills and development fees also were started several years ago for new construction.

Three different public elections have been held to institute a property tax for general operations, but voters rejected them all.

There have been some bond packages over the years that voters have approved.

Charter There has been haphazard talk over the years of forming a charter government here, which involves a series of elections.

In essence, a specific charter would be written for the local government, which would clarify more of the issues now generally decided just by the Town Council.

For example, a charter could be written stating that any sales tax increase would need a public election involving the voters. As it stands now, the council, with a mere four votes, could increase the sales tax rate.

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We Achieve & Celebrate Educational Excellence The Governing Board and the staff of Fountain Hills Unified School District congratulate the Town of Fountain Hills on the 20th anniversary of becoming a town.

Fountain Hills USD serves approximately 2280 students in grades Preschool through 12. McDowell Mountain School serves grades P-2, Four Peaks grades 3-5, Fountain Hills Middle School grades 6-8 and Fountain Hills High School grades 9-12. The district enjoys a reputation of excelling schools with a wide array of programs at each grade level that prepare students for college and post high school employment. Approximately ninety percent of graduates of Fountain Hills High School attend post secondary education.

An election was held once to change the “Town” of Fountain Hills to “City” of Fountain Hills, mostly in name only, the first step of the chartering process, but it was rejected.

Washes Citizens banded together in the 1990s to pass an initiative forcing tougher restrictions on proposed improvements being made in local washes.

The town has taken over much of the wash property in town from the developer, but those favoring the wash initiative were fearful that massive park improvements would be made in the washes similar to the Indian Bend Wash in Scottsdale.

Park advocates were only examining the possibility of linking a trail system in the washes, utilizing existing utility cuts and dirt roads, but the initiative was approved by voters anyway.

Mayor’s position At one time the Town Council used to choose who would be mayor from among themselves.

John Cutillo had that first honor, but he himself led the charge for having the position of mayor become a

separate elected office.

Voters agreed with him, and they approved a measure to make the mayoral position a separate two-year term from Town Council seats.

The first Town Council also served without pay, but members rather quickly instituted a relatively nominal pay scale for six council members and mayor.

Law enforcement The Town of Fountain Hills does not have a municipal police department. Instead, it contracts with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office for police protection.

At one time the town had a rather large Marshal’s Department that would enforce town codes and assist the Sheriff’s Office in various matters.

The groundwork was thus being laid to form a municipal police department here through the Marshal’s Department, but the Town Council eventually pulled the plug on that idea and the department was essentially disbanded.

The Sheriff’s Office contract has been modified over the years to expand the beat coverage in town with regard to police protection.

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December 2009

General Plan, Strategic Plan, Downtown Vision shape future During the first 20 years of Fountain Hills growth in the community depended on the developer’s master plan for guidance.

Since incorporation the municipal Fountain Hills has created a whole new set of tools for planning the future for the town. Some of those, such as the General Plan are mandated by law, but others like the Strategic Plan are entirely the choice of the town leadership and citizens.

The General Plan is the formal document that outlines land use objectives for the incorporated town. State law requires a major update of the General Plan be put before voters at least every 10 years. The last major update was adopted in 2002.

The timing related to the town’s 20th anniversary is a coincidence but maybe kismet also with the council is on the verge of considering a General Plan update to be placed before voters next May. According to town Planning and Zoning Director Richard Turner the work began on a simple General Plan update a couple of years ago. However, delays related to a new and significant piece of the puzzle, the former State Trust Land now owned by the Ellman Companies, brought the timeline to the doorstep of needing to plan for the major update.

Turner said it is fiscally prudent to go ahead with the major update now rather than approve a minor update only to start the process over again to go before the voters in two years.

The General Plan is something of conceptual overlay on how various parts of the land are to be used such as residential housing, commercial retail or offices or industrial use.

It also outlines what land is to be left as open space, where roadways are as well as other transportation elements.

For example, the General Plan may designate an area for low density housing. The layer underneath is the Zoning Ordinance, which would specify what zoning is on the property, such as R1-43, which is for lots of about one acre in size.

In 2004 town leadership made a decision that it wanted input from the public on the future of Fountain Hills and wanted that input formalized.

Over the entire year of 2005 citizens were brought together to talk, they were surveyed all in the name of creating a Strategic Plan for the Town of Fountain Hills.

The Strategic Plan outlines what is expected of the town in the way of amenities and services that equate to the quality of life residents say they want in their community.

The council uses the plan as a tool for budget planning on an annual basis.

The 2005 Strategic Plan was based on a five-year life span so there is an update process underway for that document also.

The updated Strategic Plan is expected to go before the council for adoption next spring.

Since development began in Fountain Hills there has been a parcel of land in the central part of the commu-

nity across from Fountain Park that has remained untouched by enterprise.

This past year the Chamber of Commerce and a group of business people got together to hire a consultant to create a concept plan for the downtown area, which would encompass the long vacant parcel as well as other portions of the downtown. The town got on board to help finance the project.

Vernon Swaback, a renowned Scottsdale planner and his firm, met with business leaders and citizens over six months to develop what is known as the Downtown Vision Plan.

The concept is to create a “district” plan that outlines where various uses

ranging from residential to entertainment and business should be put.

The plan is being used with some success during this down economy, to show potential developers and businesses what Fountain Hills has to offer.

According to the town’s Economic Development Administrator Lori Gary, the plan shows potential users where the town would like their business to go and why it will work in relation to other business and residents as potential customers.

With a toolbox that includes these types of documents, the town hopes careful planning will result in a successful and vibrant community over the next 20 years.

Resident Arlie Denomme looks at details of the Downtown Vision Plan with Swaback & Associates Planner Jeff Denzak.

Here’s a yearly record of Town’s building permits The population of the Town of Fountain Hills doubled between 1990 and 2000, the first decade following incorporation.

A reflection of that growth shows up in the number of building permits the town has issued for residential dwelling units. These numbers include single-family homes, duplex units and multi-family dwelling units such as apartments and condominiums.

The growth in condominium units was big in the late 1990s.

In 1990, the first year after incorporation, the town’s numbers track from July through December when the new town issued 45 residential building permits.

In subsequent years the numbers are as follows: 1991 – 167

1992 – 236 1993 – 398 1994 – 681 1995 – 683 1996 – 687 1997 – 1,170 (includes 664 multi-family) 1998 – 784 1999 – 680 2000 – 489 2001 – 301 2002 – 174 2003 – 172 2004 – 311 2005 – 478 2006 – 238 2007 – 81 2008 – 29 2009 – 7 (Jan. through Oct.) It is easy to see the economic ups and downs over the years based on

building activity in Fountain Hills.

There was a steady climb through the 90s and a drop off in the early 2000 years.

There was a slight rebound middecade with the severe drop-off since 2007 into the current economic recession.

The importance of the building as an economic engine for the town is reflected in the value of the permits.

Between 2000 and 2006 the value of the residential building permits for the town averaged about $110.5 million per year. The peak was in 2005 when permits had a total value of $152,635,025.

The town receives both permit fees and sales tax from construction to boost the town’s coffers. As seen in the figures, since 2007 construction has not been a significant revenue producer.

Fountain Hills Progress / 19

December 2009

An overview of your municipal government The first 20 years of life as an incorporated community for Fountain Hills is probably not much different than the first 20 years of life for many of its citizens.

There has been a share of triumph and tragedy, but mostly it has been the routine business of getting the job done.

For the town and its equivalent of 81 full-time employees that means providing citizens the services they need and desire to have a fulfilling quality of life.

To accomplish that task this year the Town Council has given its employees a General Fund budget of approximately $14.5 million. The General Fund is the source of money for the town’s day-to-day operations.

The town also maintains a capital fund for one-time facilities and equipment purchases, and these projects are also included in the budget. For instance, this fiscal year there is an additional $12.8 million for capital projects.

There are additional funds in the town budget also including highway

user, and excise tax fund, court enhancement, public art, special revenues, development fees and debt service.

The budgeted expenses for all of these funds are a total of $35.3 million.

One of the key responsibilities of the town, or any incorporated community, is providing public safety services to its citizens. The town’s pre-incorporation history left it with a tradition of law enforcement and emergency services provided by outside agencies.

The town has continued to use contracts to provide these services with the Rural/Metro Corp. for fire protection and emergency medical operations. The Maricopa County Sheriff had jurisdiction over the area prior to incorporation by virtue of its duty for the county. A contract is required to continue those services for the municipal entity.

This current fiscal year the town will pay Rural/Metro $3 million and MCSO $2.8 million (see separate story in Progress for additional information

on these agencies).

The town owns and maintains a number of building facilities within the community. Those include the three major facilities within the downtown cultural complex; Town Hall, the Community Center and Library/Museum.

There are also facilities the town has “inherited” including the Community Theater complex which includes buildings that were formerly the library and community center.

The town became the owner of the two fire stations (a total of three buildings) when it took over the fire district in 2001.

The town also owns the Sunset Kiwanis Building on Kiwanis Drive.

Town Hall itself totals 33,500 square feet on two floors, with the Community Center covering 30,000 square feet over one story, and the Library/Museum is a 21,000 square-foot building with 15,000 for the library and 5,000 for the L. Alan Cruikshank River of Time Museum. The remaining 1,000 square feet in that building is common area.

A Downtown Vision Plan took shape over this past year that provides a blueprint for future planning and development in the downtown area. The town is working to formalize the plan developed by Swaback Partners for the Chamber of Commerce and its Business Vitality Advisory Committee.

The town’s Economic Development Coordinator Lori Gary will use the planning tool to provide vital information to developers and businesses interested in settling in the community.

As the town has grown there has been an increasing need to improve communication between town government and citizens as well as other government level entities.

Several years ago the town hired a public information officer, Katie Decker, to fill that role. Currently her duties have been expanded and she holds the title of community affairs and media relations administrator.

Decker oversees the town Web site and various town publications.

A year ago the town began to look (cont. on page 20)

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20 / Fountain Hills Progress

December 2009

Overview

We can all be proud of our park facilities

(cont. from page 19) for ways to improve efficiency in the operations of its facilities. The council approved an experiment with a fourday work week and currently the town is operating on that schedule.

Town Hall is open Monday through Thursday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. to allow citizens an extra hour early or late to conduct their business with the town.

A significant goal for the Town of Fountain Hills over the past 20 years has been the design and development of an outstanding Parks and Recreation system for its citizens.

Golden Eagle Park was the first effort of the department with a focus on playing fields and playgrounds to accommodate the needs of all ages.

The park was developed on about 30 acres along Ashbrook Wash behind the Golden Eagle Detention Dam. The site is adjacent to the high school and the facility has been used for some school athletic activities over the years.

Golden Eagle Park includes a baseball field, three softball/baseball fields including one for Little League, basketball courts, tennis courts and a sand volleyball court.

The park also includes picnic ramadas for large groups.

Four Peaks Park was built on 27 acres in the neighborhood adjacent to Four Peaks School and includes school recreational grounds. It was developed to encompass improvements to existing ball fields next to the school and tennis courts on the site.

Town facts At the time Fountain Hills incorporated there were 5,231 residential dwelling units in town. Today there are 12,870. Of those 64 percent are single family homes, and 36 percent are in multi-family development.

In 1991 the total Primary Assessed Value for the town was $79,044,032 (Source: Town of Fountain Hills).

In 2009 the total Primary AV for the town is at $563,493,503 (Source: Maricopa County Assessor’s Office).

In 1990, the year of incorporation for Fountain Hills, the U.S. Census Bureau counted 10,030 people living in Fountain Hills. The 2008 estimate by the Maricopa Association of Governments for Fountain Hills population was 25,995. The next U.S. Census count will be April 2010.

Fountain Hills is 20.3 square miles.

Golf courses make up 6.5 percent of the land. Open space, parks, washes and Preserve, make up 21.4 percent of the town. Single family housing covers about 25 percent of the land.

The town was able to secure Heritage Fund grants totaling $3.7 million to develop and improve Golden Eagle Park, Four Peaks Park, Fountain Park and Desert Vista Park. The four major parks total 132.64 acres.

The third time’s the charm. The town had held two previous incorporation elections before voters finally approved the proposal in 1989.

The original master plan for Fountain Hills projected a build-out population of 70,000. By the time of incorporation that projection had been scaled down to about 40,000 due to concerns about the availability of water and other issues.

A large soccer field was built new along Del Cambre Avenue north of the school to become part of the park.

Desert Vista Park is a 12-acre site off Saguaro Boulevard at Desert Vista Drive. The first improvements to the site included an off leash recreation facility for dogs and owners.

More recently the town completed improvements at Desert Vista that include a skate park, soccer fields, a play ground and picnic ramadas.

The town’s central attraction is Fountain Park, which was deeded to the town from MCO Properties in 1997.

The 66-acre park includes approximately 30-acres of lake and the town has added improvements that include an outdoor performance amphitheater, sidewalks, playgrounds, a splash pad built in conjunction with Rotary International and several picnic ramadas.

In the future the town hopes to have development of a 40-acre park site in the planned Ellman Companies development on the former State Trust Land.

The town is also working in conjunction with the School District in

Town has contracts for Public Safety services Public safety services for the Town of Fountain Hills have evolved over the years since incorporation much like the town itself.

Currently the town receives its primary public safety services through contracts with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office and Rural/Metro Corp.

These providers date back to the beginning of development in town and provide the citizens of Fountain Hills with professional and modern equipped law enforcement, fire protection and emergency medical services 24 hours a day.

Fire Department Rural/Metro Corp., a private Scottsdale based company, has provided fire protection and emergency medical services dating back to an agreement with the developer when the first residents moved into town.

Residents eventually formed a fire district to pay for upgraded services and the district continued to be the fire protection and EMS entity until 2001

when the Town Council voted to take over the services. This was after the district had made a decision to discontinue its Rural/Metro contract and create its own fire department.

Since the dissolution of the fire district Rural/Metro has remained the town’s service provider. The town owns the fire fighting equipment that includes fire engine pumpers, a multipurpose ladder truck, utility vehicles and other apparatus. Fully equipped ambulances with paramedics also are dedicated to serve Fountain Hills.

There are two fire stations in town; the main facility located on Palisades Boulevard at Avenue of the Fountains also houses administrative offices. The second station is located on Saguaro Boulevard south of Shea Boulevard.

The Fountain Hills Fire Department places a heavy emphasis on fire prevention and education programs with ongoing safety programs for area schools and special events. The department also works with the town Parks (cont. on page 21)

planning two park sites to be adjacent to McDowell Mountain School and Fountain Hills High School Mark Mayer is director of Parks and Recreation. Bryan Hughes is recreation supervisor overseeing programs and events. Don Clark is parks supervisor with the job of overseeing field operations at the park facilities.

Town has received many awards over the years Over the two decades since incorporation the Town of Fountain Hills has been recognized by municipal and government organizations for excellence in operations in several areas.

The Government Finance Officers Association has presented the town with the award of Financial Reporting Achievement for 13 consecutive years.

This award looks primarily at financial documents such as annual reports and audits.

The GFOA has also presented the town with its Certificate of Recognition for Budget Preparation for eight consecutive years.

This recognition is based on budget documents and ease of public access and understanding.

Deputy Town Manager Julie Ghetti has been the staff employee with primary oversight for financial activities over this period.

The Parks and Recreation Department has recognized by the Arizona Parks and Recreation Association on four occasions for excellence.

In 1994 the department received the Outstanding Program Award for Fort McDowell Fountain Hills Appreciation Day. The town received the Outstanding Facility Award for Populations Under 60,000 in 1999 for Golden Eagle Park.

In 2006 Mayor Wally Nichols was named Outstanding Public Official by the APRA. The 2006 St. Patrick’s Day Celebration received the Outstanding Community & Neighborhood Special Event Award for Populations Under 25,000.

Fountain Hills Progress / 21

December 2009

Public safety (cont. from page 20) and Recreation department to offer CPR training for citizens with regular monthly classes.

Firefighters typically respond to more than 3,000 calls annually, and more than half are calls for emergency medical service.

Michael Scharnow Editor The Fountain Hills Times

It’s amazing what we have accomplished

Sheriff’s services Prior to incorporation the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office provided protection to Fountain Hills as part of the unincorporated area of the county. In the early days there was normally one deputy patrolling the streets.

After incorporation the town hired a former Scottsdale police officer, Ron Dean, as town marshal. That job was eventually taken over by Steve Gendler who built a department along side the Sheriff’s Office with a goal of eventually having a town police department.

The hybrid system worked for a while, but eventually it became apparent the town would need to make a decision on law enforcement for the town.

At about the same time the town decided to take over fire service it also decided it would contract with the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office for all law

The Fountain Hills Rural/Metro Fire Department and the Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office work together to respond to emergencies in Fountain Hills. enforcement needs and the Marshal’s Department was disbanded.

Under contract with the town the Sheriff’s Office has established a stand alone administrative district based in Fountain Hills that maintains a squad of patrol deputies at all times, with units on the street to respond to emergencies and complaints. Personnel based here include a detective squad and a commanding officer.

Sheriff’s deputies assigned to the community provide assistance with

Robert & Mary Ellen McKee Branch

community programs, traffic complaints and there is one school resource officer at the high school, who also works in the Middle School.

The Fountain Hills Sheriff’s Posse actively assists deputies and is involved with local neighborhood and commercial patrols, vacation watches, search and rescue operations, etc.

The Arizona Department of Public Safety highway patrol squad assigned to the Beeline Highway outside Fountain Hills also has offices at Town Hall.

You know life can be rather dull when one of my greatest thrills is driving by a local park and seeing activity.

It can be anything from kids on a swing or a colorful youth soccer game to Little League baseball and senior softball with an attitude.

That’s because 20 years ago we didn’t have such facilities as Golden Eagle Park, Desert Vista Park, a “new and improved” Four Peaks Park or the ownership and maintenance of Fountain Park.

We didn’t have the McDowell Mountain Preserve, a connecting trail to McDowell Mountain Regional Park or the freshly dedicated Botanical Garden. (cont. on page 22)

HAPPY 20th ANIVERSERY Thank You Town of Fountain Hills for Inspiring And helping another child BE GREAT!

22 / Fountain Hills Progress

December 2009

What does the future hold? Mayor, Town Manager give views Gazing through the fog of the current economic crisis, Town of Fountain Hills officials can still see a bright future in their crystal ball for the community, thanks mostly to the efforts of its citizens.

Mayor Jay Schlum and Town Manager Rick Davis gave separate assessments of Fountain Hills in 20 years, but both believe it will be the citizens who will make the difference.

“Fountain Hills will be known as a very unique community that offers a superior quality of life,” Davis said. “It is one of the distinguished areas of the Valley.

“Fountain Hills has that, and it is ours to lose. It will be the challenge over the next 20 years to be able to maintain that branding and quality of life.”

Davis said he believes the citizens are up to that challenge, because of Jay Schlum where they have

Scharnow (cont. from page 21) No, we had a lot of bickering, about 112,000 special districts, plenty of dirt roads and no real direction in the community.

Depending on your interests in life you might point to different aspects of Fountain Hills that catch your fancy, but one of the accomplishments in my life that I enjoyed tremendously was being in on the ground floor of starting the Parks and Recreation Department.

Such things as the mountain views, the Fountain, the quiet evenings, the desert beauty – they were here before incorporation and hopefully will remain forever.

But the Town of Fountain Hills is only 20 years old, and the local government has accomplished much during that time.

I will only take a small slice of credit for helping start Parks and Recreation – many other citizens and town staffers have picked up and carried that ball the past two decades.

But as founding chairman of the Parks and Recreation Commission, it is certainly fun to look back and see where we were 20 years ago and admire the progress since that time.

My oldest son, Joshua, was born on March 12, 1991, the day voters passed a bond package to allow the brand new town government to pave the dirt resi-

brought the community in its first two decades.

“This will more and more become a strong civic minded community,” Schlum said. “Volunteerism is becoming more important and necessary. It is part of the core and character of this community.”

Over the next 20 years Fountain Hills will need to reinvent – not itself – but the way it maintains itself, according to Davis.

“Financing the city in the year 2030 will not resemble how we are doing it now,” he said. “There will be no more new development, and retail alone will not be able to support the quality of life we have.

“Finding a new fiscal model will come out of an effort of citizen collaboration and creative thought.

“I do not know what that will look like yet.”

Davis believes that the future will bring retail into Fountain Park and along the Avenue of the Fountains, as proposed by the recent visioning process.

He said there will be greater diver-

sity in residential options, and, yes – there will be a movie theater in the year 2030.

Schlum said even though Fountain Hills will have grown to a medium sized city of between 35,000 to 40,000 people it will maintain its small town appeal.

“We will be able to retain the smalltown character through citizen engagement,” Schlum said. “Government will be focused so much on budgets for the next several years maintaining our quality of life will require citizen involvement.”

The things that make Fountain Hills so attractive to visitors, the art fairs and festivals such as Oktoberfest and St. Patrick’s Day will carry on with the support of volunteers, according to Schlum.

Another aspect of the appeal of Fountain Hills is rooted in the natural environment surrounding the community.

“The green tide is coming and more and more people are in much more agreement with what that means,” Da-

vis said. “This town is very committed to environmental initiatives.

“We will have more usage of our trail system, as that is a way for people to touch the Sonoran Desert.”

Schlum agrees that Fountain Hills Rick Davis will benefit from its surroundings.

“We are in a unique position to benefit from our natural environment,” Schlum said. “We have a lot to offer tourists as well as citizens on a daily basis.”

Like any community, the future in Fountain Hills will depend on the actions of its citizens and officials, according to Davis.

“I believe we will see the people and officials do the right things,” he said.

“There is a saying, ‘it is not enough to wait for the future, you have to be the future you want’.”

COMMENT dential streets – including the one I still live on.

Both of my boys were able to grow up here and utilize the brand new parks for a variety of sports and activities – heck, even the dog park once or twice.

To me, that’s what local control and local government are all about – serving the needs (and wishes) of the people who live here. The higher you go in government (county, region, state, federal, etc.), the bigger the bureaucracy and the more difficult to affect real change and real improvements.

The Town of Fountain Hills has been accused of that, of course, but the bottom line remains this – town government is essentially made up of neighbors who are employed by us to improve our quality of life, keep us safe, etc.

That doesn’t happen 100 percent of the time, but there really is no good alternative. No better solution exists. It was the right thing to do, and it remains the right thing to be involved in. If you don’t participate, who will? If you don’t include your voice in the cacophony, who will listen?

Get involved, make a difference, be a part of the solutions the next 20 years instead of just griping about the problems.

That’s what a group of individuals did more than 20 years ago, and it has made all the difference for Fountain Hills – the community, the town, the people.

A significant time in history Just prior to the first incorporation election in 1983 this publication came out in an editorial (when we didn’t publish editorials on a regular basis) and recommended that voters not pass the measure. The newspaper felt then that the timing wasn’t right, the reasons being thrown out there seemed more vindictive than positive. Indeed, voters did turn down the effort.

Six years later, however, much had changed in Fountain Hills. By the early winter of 1989, the electorate was preparing to vote on the third attempt at incorporation. The future seemed much brighter – the projected revenues were positive, the attitudes were positive, the reasons for local self-control were positive.

And so The Times of Fountain Hills, the official name of our publication back then, came out with an editorial in favor of incorporation. Two opposing camps had popped up – “status quo” and “annexation” by Scottsdale – which made for an interesting election, but their reasons just weren’t compelling enough. Those other alternatives no longer seemed viable (and there were many dubious questions as to if the City of Scottsdale really wanted to annex us, anyway).

The majority won to make the third time the charm – 2,100 “yes” votes to 1,662 “no” votes for incorporation.

Next to turning on the Fountain for the first time in 1971, signifying the “birth” of this community, the December 1989 vote, in our opinion, was the most significant moment and decision in the history of Fountain Hills.

As with any government, there has been a fair share of bumps and potholes on the road of self-control the past 20 years, but the larger picture no question screams out the fact that incorporation was the best thing to ever happen to Fountain Hills.

One of the big buzzwords you often hear today is “quality of life.” There is no question that the quality of life for citizens has drastically improved in Fountain Hills under incorporation. Our local government stands as a testimony to what can happen when citizens band together for the common good. Incorporation has given us many capital improvements, many new programs and services and an improved status in the state of Arizona.

There is no perfect Utopia, of course, but the Town of Fountain Hills is a shining example of citizens working together to improve their respective community.

Congratulations on the first 20 years…and may the future be as bright and productive as the past two decades.

Fountain Hills Progress / 23

December 2009

Fountain Hills Cultural & Civic Association

The Fountain Hills Cultural and Civic Association, which was incorporated on December 26, 1978 as the Fountain Hills Civic Association, is our community’s oldest volunteer charitable association.

When Fountain Hills was incorporated in 1989 the FHCCA had already been serving the residents of this community for more than ten years. We are proud of our 30 years of community involvement and look forward to being an active part of this community for at least 30 more years.

Our community services include: • Civic Education programs and political forums • Sponsorship of the Fountain Hills public art collection • In Home Concerts • The statewide annual piano competition for junior high and high school students • Our live holiday poinsettia tree • An annual juried art show • School educational and art programs • Sponsorship of our Community Chorus and our Community Band fountainhillscca.org fountainhillspublicart.com

24 / Fountain Hills Progress

December 2009

Expect Excellence.

(480) 837-2500 www.MCORealty.com

Honored to grow with the Town of Fountain Hills.