City Council Work Session - 09/16/2024

The City Council Work Session of the City of Goodyear held on September 16, 2024, focused primarily on reviewing recommendations from the Charter Review Committee regarding amendments to the city charter. Key procurement-related discussions included clarifications and proposed amendments to the city’s taxing authority, specifically transaction privilege taxes and bond issuance approvals, which would be simplified to a majority vote. The committee also recommended shifting departmental organization authority from the city council to the city manager to improve administrative efficiency, while maintaining council oversight through budget and policy approvals. Additionally, the council compensation committee proposed retaining its process to evaluate mayor and council pay biennially, including benefits, and suggested removing the 5% cap on compensation increases to better attract candidates. The council discussed the importance of preserving local control through these charter amendments, which are planned to be placed on the May 2025 special election ballot for voter approval. There was also discussion about potentially capping signature requirements for council candidacy petitions to ease the burden on candidates. No direct contract awards or vendor selections were discussed, but the policy changes could impact future procurement and governance processes.