Place, Date and Time of Meeting
Oro Valley Town Council Chambers, 11000 North La Canada Drive, February 5, 2001, 7:05 p.m.

Board Members Present
Dr. Kenneth Smith, President
Kent Barrabee, Member
Mike Prout, Member
Mary Schuh, Member

Member Excused

Nancy Young Wright, Vice President/Clerk

Central Administrators Present
Dr. Vicki M. Balentine, Superintendent
Dr. Katie M. Frey, Associate Superintendent
Dr. Richard Hooley, Associate Superintendent
Todd A. Jaeger, J.D., Associate to Superintendent and General Counsel

Oro Valley Council Members Present

Paul Loomis, Mayor
Fran LaSala, Vice Mayor
Dick Johnson, Council Member
Bart Rochman, Council Member
Werner Wolff, Council Member

Staff Present

Present Chuck Sweet, Town Manager
Dan Dudley, Town Attorney
Bill Jansen, Town Engineer
Danny Sharp, Chief of Police
Brent Sinclair, Community Development Director
Bryant Nodine, Planning & Zoning Administrator

Call to Order and Signing of Visitors Register

Mayor Loomis called the meeting to order. There was roll call of the Oro Valley Town Council.
President Smith called the meeting to order. Roll call was taken of the Amphitheater Governing Board.

Pledge of Allegiance

The Pledge of Allegiance was given

The following persons addressed the Governing Board: Sue Hayes, in appreciation of the joint meeting being held; Cathy Cross, speaking of the committees working for the new high school, and of the fund-raising campaign for new books; Bob Oro, advocating gym availability for use by students and parents.

1. Growth Issues

A. Current Planning and Zoning Coordination (District/Town) B. Future Rezoning/PAD Amendments and Educational Impacts C. Development of a Policy to Involve the Amphitheater District in Oro Valley Planning and Zoning Coordination

Bryant Nodine, Planning and Zoning Administrator for the Town of Oro Valley, spoke of ongoing coordination with Amphitheater School District, the sharing of information in the areas of growth and population projections, rezonings, and the tracking of development. Mr. Nodine gave a Geographic Information System presentation, projecting growth areas in Oro Valley, and speaking of two major issues – infrastructure and the pygmy owl. Discussion included long-range enrollment projections, the importance of cooperative planning between Amphitheater District and Oro Valley, and timely school-site selection and the support of the community.

In discussion of funding from the State School Facilities Board (SSFB), Councilman Johnson encouraged collaboration, with Oro Valley supporting the District's efforts. Dr. Smith concurred that the more cooperation is evidenced, the better it is for the state, and the more likely it is to listen to the District.

Vice Mayor LaSala asked if a binding memorandum of understanding might be produced to address certain issues. Todd Jaeger and Dan Dudley were in agreement that there are ways to fashion an agreement that would more permanently bind; however, by law one cannot bind future bodies in the exercise of their legislative authority; a schematic by which the entities agree to work in the future may be provided, but would be less than binding. Dr. Smith spoke of building community spirit. Dr. Barrabee noted the District's strong commitment to all jurisdictions, to good schools everywhere within the District.

2. Solicitation and Support of Development Donations/Impact Fees to Support School Construction
Dr. Katie Frey reviewed the schools that currently serve Oro Valley (and other jurisdictions as well), the schools' enrollment capacities and current enrollment status. She noted that after Ironwood Ridge High School is open with all four grade levels, the current Canyon del Oro High School North Campus would no longer exist. She stated that one of the ways the State School Facilities Board agreed to fund some additional land for the District was that the North Campus will be excluded from future consideration for square-footage; it will need a use other than for a high school.

Dr. Frey reviewed the construction and staffing costs of over $40 million for the new high school, which has a capacity of 2,000 students. She described the formula/process for State School Facilities Board land and new- construction funding. There was discussion of the importance of future planning for school sites that will be needed. Dr. Balentine stated that the September SSFB meeting will be held in Amphitheater School District, and suggested that a tour be given at that time to the leadership of that group.

Dr. Frey reported that as required by law, land is funded by the SSFB at a price that is less than or equal to fair market value. However, the SSFB strongly encourages donations of school sites/land by developers, and has a very strong belief that developers should be required to donate land. She stated that an Amphitheater school is not comparable to a SSFB school, being far better than a SSFB school.

Mr. Jaeger reviewed the City of Apache Junction/Apache Unified School District litigation, which led to currently pending SB 1161; the bill would provide authority to school districts to assess impact fees for the benefit of schools and school districts. He noted that the pending bill indicates "can accept donations of land in lieu of these impact fee assessments." Mr. Jaeger provided examples of school districts that have attempted to address the fact that the SSFB formulas do not adequately address the need to build schools on a level that communities may expect. These efforts involved solicitation of donations of land/cash equivalents by school districts themselves. Mr. Jaeger clarified that the enabling legislation for the SSFB indicates that what they are to fund is the threshold – a level the state has determined is an appropriate level for school districts across the state, designed to provide equality. However, it does allow for communities on a local basis to go beyond that minimum state standard, to augment what the SSFB provides. Dr. Balentine confirmed that it is still permissible for the school district, in addition to receiving SSFB funding, to issue bonds as allowed by law for new school development. There was discussion of the distribution of impact fees, and of the implementation of impact fees causing the price of houses to rise.

Dr. Smith asked that the Town Council consider a joint resolution with the District, or a separate resolution, in support of SB 1161. Mayor Loomis stated that logistically a joint resolution might be difficult for the District in trying to coordinate it with other communities it needs to support, that it might be a better idea to do it separately, that the impact would be better. Dr. Smith stated that this would be fine, noting that part of the District is in the City of Tucson.

Dr. Smith asked that the Town Council consider voluntary fees, to help in providing good schools, and get back with the District on this matter.

Dr. Smith turned the meeting over to Mayor Loomis, who declared a recess at 8:45 p.m. The meeting reconvened at 9:00 p.m.

3. New Schools

A. Ironwood Ridge High School (Traffic Issues/School Resource Officer/Joint Use of Facilities) B. Painted Sky Elementary School DARE Officer/After-School Programs)

Mayor Loomis introduced Town staff members. Bill Jansen, Town Engineer, spoke of the new high school's expected impact on Oro Valley. He noted that the new high school is in a disputed area and therefore the Town is not able to deal with improvements needed to accommodate the traffic resulting from the school. In the event the court rules in the Town's favor, then it would become the Town's issue relative to the traffic. He spoke of traffic/signalization/bus issues that need to be addressed, and the need to work with the District. Dr. Frey stated that a traffic study has been done; the Town will be provided this information.

There was discussion regarding the dangers of the Tangerine/La Cholla intersection; it was noted that Oro Valley's ability to make the necessary road improvements depends on the result of the annexation dispute currently in the courts. Mr. Jansen commented that if the court rules this is a part of Oro Valley, then there is funding in the five-year TIP Program that can be used for necessary improvements.

Mayor Loomis recommended, once the Town receives the traffic study and needs are identified, that if necessary, the District and Town Council could go jointly to Pima County to seek solutions to traffic/road issues.

Oro Valley Chief of Police Danny Sharp spoke of the excellent relationship that exists between the District and the Oro Valley Police Department. He referred to the title of Resource Officers, stating that the officers are there not to be campus cops, but to be resources to the faculty, staff and students. He proposed that one officer be assigned to the school when it opens with freshmen and sophomores. His goal is to have two SRO officers, continuing with the same model at Ironwood Ridge High School as is in place at Canyon del Oro High School. Mayor Loomis stated that the Town would be interested in initiating an Intergovernmental Agreement for resource officer(s) at the new high school.

Community Development Director Brent Sinclair reported that parties are working toward joint use of facilities. There was discussion of extensive joint usage/sharing of expenses/coordination of scheduling of fields. Dr. Frey noted the difficulties in scheduling for joint use of fields, since the District overlaps three jurisdictions, and suggested that sharing of information be the first step. She will provide a listing of the fields to the Town's Parks and Recreation Department, and suggested that the Town provide a list of what facilities it has allocated. Mr. Jaeger clarified that the District can improve only property it owns; this does not preclude joint use or joint development of adjoining properties, but does preclude a school district from improving the property that is owned by municipalities.

Mr. Sharp stated that currently Painted Sky Elementary School is sharing the DARE officer assigned to Copper Elementary School. He recommended that an additional DARE Office be assigned to Painted Sky. Oro Valley will be exploring grant funding for this purpose.

4. Future Joint Meeting Schedule
Mayor Loomis suggested the Town Council and Governing Board meet semi-annually, and possibly set a meeting for September. The Superintendent and Town Manager will work together to set a date as appropriate.

With each entity gathering necessary data, the Town and District will identify how we can proactively work together to meet the needs of the community, putting together a plan for the future of the northwest area. The Town and District will work toward identifying needs for the next five to twenty-five years, utilizing new census data.

There were no requests for future agenda items from Governing Board members.

Barry Simone spoke in appreciation of the joint meeting.

A motion was made by Mrs. Schuh, seconded by Mr. Prout and passed unanimously, that the meeting be adjourned. The time was 9:48 p.m.

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