City wins finance award; updates zoning code

Rebecca Chitwood, Maricopa’s accounting manager, was presented with a national award during Tuesday’s Maricopa City Council meeting: the Government Finance Officers Association certificate of excellence for financial reporting.

“This award is a big deal,” said Tom Duensing, director of finance. “It proves we have a clean audit.”

Duensing said applying for the award involved a lengthy and detailed process.

“It’s also very important when governments go to bond,” Duensing said. “When we will go to market, one of the things that we will present is the fact that we were awarded this certificate.”

Duensing said Chitwood was “absolutely responsible for this.”

Chitwood said she worked with auditors for several months putting together tables about Maricopa’s major employers, revenue sources and other financial statistics. She has been at Maricopa’s financial department for five years, and said the city has applied for the award twice.

 “This is motivation for Maricopa,” Chitwood said. “We get to start all over, and I plan on applying for the award every year from now on.”

Also during the meeting, the city council approved a consulting contract for no more than $330,750 with Dyett & Bhatia Urban and Regional Planners of San Francisco to help rewrite the zoning code.

In a presentation to the council during the 6 p.m. work session, Danielle Casey, assistant city manager, said it is important to update the code, calling it “the city’s most important document in terms of impacting economic development.”

Casey added that although the Heritage District had design guidelines in place for new buildings to maintain the area’s historical ambiance, the zoning code will allow those guidelines to be enforced.

The contract includes assistance in providing a digital, searchable document.

Other money matters before the council included:

• Approving a contract with IntegriSource, LLC for up to $125,000 for information technology services.

• Allocating more than $25,000 of to purchase parts and equipment for the parks maintenance department, pay for the repair and maintenance of city trucks and equipment and general maintenance of Pacana Park fields.

•Approving leasing property to Tyee Southwest for five years for $189.60 per month. The strip of city-owned land cuts through the business’ front area.

The council canceled its Jan. 2 work session and regular meeting.