Council funds development improvements

The Maricopa City Council, at its Oct. 30 meeting, approved spending $200,000 for improvements to the Development Services department that include increased customer service training for staff and transitioning to a paperless office model.

The improvements were recommended by Zucker Systems, a consulting firm that conducted an audit of the department. 

Mayor Christian Price said although he did not approve spending money lightly, he was a “proponent of efficiency” and understood the improvements were necessary “if (Maricopa) wants to be competitive with other cities.”

Click here to see the presentation outlining the changes that will be implemented.

Other council business included:

• The addition of a new chapter of the city’s zoning ordinance outlining guidelines for future cell towers and other communications apparatus. It will now need to be disguised to fit with the surrounding area.
• Approval for the city to apply for a $117,000 Rural Public Transportation Program grant. If awarded, the grant will help fund the city’s demand response service, which residents use to secure rides to regional hospitals and shopping centers. The program has generated 1,214 rides since Jan. 2011. The city will be required to match up to $41,200 of the awarded amount. The city’s match is divided into 20 percent for administration funding and 42 percent for operating expenses. 
• The purchase of approximately 1.8 acres of land for the multigenerational and aquatic center for $139,000 from Bowlin Plaza, LLC. The land will be used to extend Greythorn Drive and build Martin Luther King Boulevard, which will be the access road for the center. Also, drainage improvements to the area will be made. 
   
• A 12-month lease agreement between the city and Murphy Land Investors, LLC was also approved for a temporary site for Fire Station 572.