Council adopts budget commission, confirms interim city manager and approves several procedural items

Scottsdale City Council on Jan. 14, 2025, approved multiple administrative and procedural items, including an ordinance to establish a Budget Review Commission, the creation of a council subcommittee on community safety, an amendment to council procedures about device use on the dais, and confirmation of an interim city manager.

Ordinance establishing Budget Review Commission City staff presented an ordinance to create a Budget Review Commission to advise the council on operating and capital budgets, revenue forecasts, taxes and fees and budget governance policies. The ordinance calls for seven citizen members with financial, accounting, business or public‑management backgrounds, each appointed by a councilmember, and three‑year terms; the mayor appoints the commission chair. A councilmember moved to adopt Ordinance No. 4 04660 (as read at the meeting) amending Scottsdale Revised Code Chapter 2, Article 5 by adding a new Division 17 to establish the commission. The motion passed unanimously.

Council subcommittee on community safety (added to agenda) The council voted unanimously to add an item creating a council subcommittee on community safety (agenda item 14a). Councilmembers characterized the subcommittee as a forum to focus on public- and community-safety work and to coordinate related policy matters across departments.

Amendment to council procedure on electronic devices Council adopted Resolution 13336 to amend Rules of Council Procedure section 5.11, which restricts sending or receiving electronic messages from councilmembers while on the dais and preserves an administrative workaround for emergency communications. Public comment on this change included calls for transparency; supporters of the rule said it improves public trust by preventing off‑line deliberation.

Interim city manager confirmed The council confirmed assistant city manager Greg Caton as acting/interim city manager effective Jan. 14, 2025, following the resignation/retirement of the prior interim city manager. Vice Mayor Barry Graham moved to confirm the appointment; the motion passed unanimously. A proposal to adjust interim compensation was discussed during debate; the meeting transcript did not record a separate roll‑call vote adopting a specific salary change.

Citizen petition and other agenda additions The council unanimously directed staff to agendize a citizen petition presented by Steven Sutton regarding dog‑park signage and related petition concerns. The council also voted to add and schedule further review of a Development Review Board decision (DR case DR2022-000046) regarding the Marshall Living Project; the council set a future meeting for consideration (Feb. 18, 2025, was identified as the earliest possible date). Finally, the council added an agenda review item to consider a scope change for the planned roundabout at Scottsdale Road and Dynamite Boulevard for a future meeting; staff noted a federal grant that is not conditional on a roundabout.

The items approved on the consent and regular agendas were generally unanimous; where the transcript did not include a recorded roll‑call tally, the city clerk recorded votes as registered in the meeting system.

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