SignalsAZ.com Prescott News Podcast - Weekly Update with Mayor Goode of Prescott | Apr 7

Episode Date: April 8, 2025

Send us a text and chime in!Hello, I’m Mayor Phil Goode with your weekly update.Traffic Enforcement OperationWildfire Season PreparednessBrush and Vegetation Debris Drop-OffConstellation Trail Forest Thinning ProjectAugust Ballot PropositionsCouncil City Sessionshttps://www.signalsaz.com/articles/weekly-update-with-mayor-goode-of-prescott-apr-7/Check out the CAST11.com Website at: https://CAST11.com Follow the CAST11 Podcast Network on Facebook at: https://Facebook.com/CAST11AZFollow Cast11 Instagram at: https://www.instagram.com/cast11_podcast_network

Hello, I'm Mayor Phil Good with your weekly update. A targeted speed and aggressive driving enforcement operation took place on March 26th. This detail focused on high traffic areas, including Willow Creek Road, Iron Springs Road, Williamson Valley Road, and Pioneer Parkway. During the operation, officers issued 72 citations for speeding violation. One driver was recorded at 73 miles an hour in a 45-mile-an-hour zone. Additionally, one motorist was arrested for DUI and 44 other citations and warnings were issued for various infractions, such as failure to stop at red lights. In total, 114 stops were made.

This enforcement initiative highlights the ongoing commitment of local law enforcement agencies to reduce dangerous driving behaviors and improve road safety for all motorists and pedestrians. drivers can avoid being stopped simply by obeying posted speed limits, remaining attentive, and prioritizing safe driving practices. I want to thank the Prescott Police Department for their efforts to reduce dangerous driving and prevent tragedies. With the passage of Proposition 478, we will be continuing to recruit and build our police force so consistent traffic enforcement can be expected. It's time to start thinking about wildfire season in our area. With the late spring and early summer months, comes generally drier weather and the increased wildfire threat. Wildfire is the greatest natural disaster our community faces.

We need to prepare our homes and businesses, and we also need to know how to respond in the event of a fire. Please remember that wildfire preparedness starts with you. During April, I'll be continuing to share some wildfire safety and preparedness tips with you. In our community, it's important to be prepared for power outages. Our energy provider, APS, works with emergency managers, first responders, and firefighters in our community to help prevent, reduce, and respond to wildfires. One tool APS may implement this summer is a public safety power shutoff, also called a PSPS. Public safety power shutoffs are only to be used in

severe fire conditions and would impact a limited number of residents in high fire risk areas of our community. If fire risk conditions increase to the level where a PSPS might be necessary, APS will provide advanced notification to impacted customers. APS encourages customers to make sure their account information is up to date in order to receive alerts. In the meantime, you can prepare your home with flashlights, non-perishers, foods and have a backup power source for sensitive medications and other perishables. Please think about preparations for the upcoming fire season now, and don't wait until the last minute. Join together with your neighbors and invest in our community's safety.

Thanks to wildfire risk manager Conrad Jackson for his information and expertise. He is definitely helping to keep our community safer. The city of Prescott is offering a free brush and vegetation debris drop-off. event for its residential trash customers. This event runs through the month of April every Saturday, from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the City of Prescott Transfer Station, located at 2,800 Sundog Ranch Road. Proof of City of Prescott residency in the form of a driver's license or utility bill is required. The event dates all Saturdays are April 12th, April 19th, April 26th, and May 3rd. Please do not bag the brush vegetation debris. Do not place trash into brush vegetation debris, and please remember to cover

and contain all loads when transporting them. This is for residential customers. Commercial haulers will be required to pay the standard rate for disposing of brush and vegetation debris. To improve wildlife habitat, reduce wildfire fuel loads, and reduce negative watershed impacts, the City of Prescott's forestry crew will be engaged in a thinning project around the Constellation Trail and nearby Gateway Trailhead. This project area has been identified as extreme high risk. The 135-acre project will reduce vegetative fuel loads by 50% through a combination of hand-thinning and mechanical mastication. The crew will selectively limit dead and down tree removal to ensure wildlife habitat remains healthy. No herbicide will,

will be used in the project. Project work is expected to continue through the late fall of this year. For the safety of both a working crew and recreational users, please avoid the forestry crew's work areas. The Constellation Trail will remain largely open for the duration of the work. Warning signage will be in place in areas where the crew is operating. Additional information regarding the project will be available on Trail Bulletin boards. At the March 25th voting meeting, Council voted to place Proposition 482, the Home Rule Alternative Expenditure Limitation, and Proposition 484, the Open Space Charter Amendment on the August 5th primary election ballot. Arguments for and against Proposition 482 and Proposition 484 will be accepted by the city clerk's office for March 28th through

May 6th via email. Submitted arguments shall not exceed 300 words in length and must be accompanied by a $100 per argument deposit. The arguments must also include signatures, addresses, and telephone numbers of those providing the argument. All arguments delivered in person must also be sent via email. This is the 10th time the Home Rule alternative expenditure limitation has been on the ballot. The question comes to voter's. every four years, and it has been passed every time since 1989. Proposition 484 is the result of a citizen petition submitted to the Council in 2024 and amends the city charter to add city-owned open-space properties

and prohibit the sale, lease, or transfer of such properties. Council will meet tomorrow at 9 a.m. in executive session for advice and consultation with our legal team to discuss various contract issues, dispute resolutions, and a potential land acquisition. Council will hold a study session tomorrow at 1 p.m. in Council Chambers, and we will have a presentation and discussion regarding an update on the State Route 89 Design Concept Report Project. At 3 p.m., the Council voting meeting will take place. One item we will discuss is the process for the appointment to fill a vacancy on the city council. Council member Kathy Rusing has resigned from the council as required by Arizona state statute in order to run for Prescott Mayor in the 2025 primary election.

The selected candidate will serve out the remaining term of council member Rusing, which expires in November of 2027. Council will also have to choose a replacement member for council member Roozing's position on the council subcommittee on water issues. There are no other city meetings this week. Next Monday, April 14th, the Pedestrian Bicycle and Traffic Advisory Committee meets at 9 a.m. in the Founder's Suite at the Prescott Public Library. I'm Mayor Phil Good, and I'll update you again next week.

Thanks for watching.