Globe City Council’s March 10 meeting included a lengthy discussion on updates to the city’s zoning code governing home occupations, including auto repair, animal grooming and daycare services. Additional revisions to the code are likely, as the council will be sending some of these topics to the Planning and Zoning Commission for further study, while daycare and home education will be the subject of a public process.
Council also moved forward large flood recovery and infrastructure projects, awarding contracts for work in Upper Pinal Creek and for a $2.5 million water line project set to begin this summer. The city also discussed an upcoming launch of a new software platform to manage permitting and code compliance.
Council approved an amendment to the city’s zoning code, updating and expanding provisions relating to home occupations in residential zoning districts. Council also directed staff and the Planning and Zoning Commission to continue reworking some of the most controversial categories, including auto repair, handyman services and animal grooming.
Council chose to approve the broader code changes now, but removed several debated prohibitions from the current draft and sent those specific issues back for more detailed public review and technical analysis.
Council members made clear they did not want to simply ban home-based auto repair, handyman work or pet grooming as home-based business options outright. At the same time, they also did not want to open the door to operations that create noise, blight, fumes, hazardous conditions or parking problems for neighbors.
City Manager Paul Jepson recommended against trying to finalize detailed standards for those uses during the meeting. Instead, he recommended that the city delegate to the Planning and Zoning Commission to study those categories more carefully, gather public input, review past complaints, and return with more precise language.
“I'm always impressed at how few neighborhood disputes you have around here when people live on top of each other, and they're good. They're good with it. The parking, the tightness, ‘my wall is your retaining wall.’ All of this stuff. Everybody gets along really good.” — Paul Jepson, Globe City Manager
Jepson listed priorities that council members mentioned at their previous meeting to address, including that work should be contained on the property rather than spilling into public streets, and that home businesses should not alter the character of the neighborhood. They also discussed concerns about activities involving excessive noise, smells, parts storage or visible vehicle disassembly.
Council discussed strong concerns about vehicle painting. Fire Chief Gary Robinson explained that the fire department does not have authority to regulate paint booths when they are located in residential properties. This would have to be done through municipal code enforcement. Community Development Director Tony Manfredi pointed out that paint booths are considered a high-hazard occupancy, and current zoning ordinances prohibit placing a high-hazard occupancy in a residential structure.
In the area of animal-related uses, the council removed grooming from the current prohibition and referred it to the commission for further study. Kenneling and boarding animals remain prohibited.
Daycare and home instruction will be handled separately in a future public process. Jepson said those issues raise broader regulatory and policy questions and should not be folded into this zoning amendment without fuller discussion.
The amendment updates language for the following zoning districts:
Council approved a contract with Tiffany Construction Co. to provide Construction Manager at Risk (CMAR) services for flood mitigation work along Upper Pinal Creek, a project aimed at removing massive amounts of sediment left by recent floods and stabilizing damaged creek banks.
The work focuses on approximately 2.7 miles of Upper Pinal Creek within Globe’s jurisdiction. Roughly 210,000 cubic yards of sediment may need to be removed from the channel following the September flooding. A second phase of the project will examine stabilization of roughly 3,400 linear feet of creek embankments that were damaged or weakened during the flooding.
Assistant Public Works Planning Director Travis Ashbaugh explained that CMAR is a procurement approach that allows the city to select a contractor based on qualifications and experience rather than waiting for a traditional low-bid procurement process, which can be time-consuming.
“We’re not going to overspend the budget. We have to have a balanced budget," Jepson said. "We can’t go into debt, and so one way or another, we’re going to do as much work as we can and we can afford.”
The contractor will work alongside the design engineer, CivilTech Engineering, early in the process to review construction feasibility, develop schedules and cost estimates, and help prevent delays or expensive change orders later. The CMAR then assumes the risks of delivering the project under a “guaranteed maximum price” (GMP).
The Natural Resources Conservation Service Emergency Watershed Protection program imposes a strict 220-day deadline for completing the work, and Globe is already more than a month into that timeline. Ashbaugh said the CMAR procurement method was selected specifically to accelerate the process.
Council also authorized an increase to the city’s procurement authority to the eligible amount under the federal program. Seventy-five percent of eligible expenses will be reimbursed through the NRCS program, with the remaining 25% expected to come from a local match fund.
Manfredi introduced CitizenServe, a new software platform the city plans to launch in April to manage permitting, code compliance, licensing, property information and related services.
Manfredi said the city is not adopting a new concept so much as upgrading to a more capable system after finding that its current software, GovPilot, did not fully meet Globe’s needs.
The new platform will cover building permits, fire permits, code enforcement, planning and zoning, public works permits, business licensing, special events and parcel-level property information. Residents, contractors and developers will be able to look up zoning, past permits, violations, and some infrastructure-related information, and they will also be able to submit applications, track progress and make payments online.
“We have an obligation to provide the best customer service that we can to the citizens of Globe. And how we do that is to be able to process workload and intakes in a timely fashion and in a professional fashion.” — Tony Manfredi
Manfredi emphasized that the new technology will not replace the city’s personal approach. Pre-development meetings, in which staff from multiple departments meet with prospective applicants to discuss projects, will remain in place because they provide valuable one-on-one guidance. What the software will do is make these meetings more efficient, Manfredi said.
Councilman Jesse Leetham highlighted the benefits of the platform in terms of staff communication, allowing people across departments to share information instead of having to pass notes to each other. The portal will show all information and comments in one place.
Members of the public will also be able to access their own projects, but Manfredi emphasized that people will still be able to call on the phone or visit City Hall to ask questions.
Training has already been underway for eight months and will continue before the system goes live. For the public, the city plans to offer help at City Hall, including a kiosk for people who need assistance using the system.
Tony Manfredi introduced Globe’s new Planning and Zoning Administrator, Zach Montgomery. This is a position that previously was performed by a contractor, but the city is now bringing it in-house as development activity and planning needs continue to grow.
Montgomery most recently worked in Page, and is a fifth-generation native of Cochise County. He brings extensive municipal experience to the role, including more than 25 years of experience as a community development director. He has worked extensively with general plans, municipal ordinances, land-use regulation, and code enforcement processes.
“I like smaller communities because you can work one-on-one with people and get things done a lot quicker.” — Zach Montgomery
Montgomery said his philosophy is to “find yes any way I can” when helping residents and developers navigate regulations and move projects forward.
Manfredi said the city is at a pivotal point, facing increasing demands related to development, redevelopment and land-use issues, along with planning challenges stemming from recent natural disasters.
Council recognized Jepson for achieving 10 years of service on March 21, 2026. Mayor Gameros presented the recognition and reflected on Jepson’s career and leadership in local government.
Jepson came to Globe after working for the City of Maricopa, where he helped guide the community during a period of rapid growth. Gameros pointed out that the position of city manager is demanding and stressful. Nationally, the average tenure for city managers is about six years, making Jepson’s 10-year milestone particularly notable.
Jepson has helped guide the city through several major challenges, including the COVID-19 pandemic, the Telegraph Fire and the flooding that followed the wildfire. Gameros credited Jepson with helping build a strong city team capable of navigating those crises and continuing recovery efforts.
“I’m just the conductor. I try to get the right person in the right slot, find the high-performing people, and support them.” — City Manager Paul Jepson
Although Jepson formally retired from the position earlier this year, the council recently approved an agreement allowing him to continue working with the city through a professional services arrangement for the next two years.
Jepson said he hopes to use that time to help the city complete several key initiatives, including construction of a new fire station and continued flood recovery work.
On an annual basis, the City of Globe contributes $73,000 to support the Copper Mountain Transit System, which provides Dial-a-Ride and bus service in Globe, Miami and elsewhere in Gila County. This is done via an intergovernmental agreement with the Town of Miami and Gila County, which also each contribute $73,000 annually.
Miami Town Manager Alexis Rivera appeared before the council to thank Globe for its ongoing partnership and provide an update on the service and its finances.
Rivera reported that the program has added a new Ford and a new Chrysler van in the past year. Maintenance expenses on the older fleet reached about $97,000 last year, making vehicle replacement a priority.
He noted that the program has secured a new grant for fiscal years 2026 through 2028, which will allow it to expand service and replace additional vehicles.
“This service gives people an avenue to get to their shopping, get to their doctor appointments, not having to drag out the car and get it going, and we’re so happy that these people choose to ride this service and get around.” — Paul Jepson, Globe City Manager
Looking ahead, there are hopes to add an express route as well as Saturday service in the 2027 grant cycle.
Rivera said ridership via Dial-a-Ride and other direct services has increased by about 60% over the past two years. He noted that many seniors rely heavily on the service and emphasized that continued support from Globe and the county is what allows the system to operate.
Rivera pointed out that Globe’s annual contribution has remained the same for the past seven years despite rising costs for diesel, oil, tires and other operating expenses. He said Miami is trying to manage those increases, including through state and federal funding.
In a discussion about potential service to Wheatfields, Rivera said Dial-a-Ride is available in that area, but fixed-route bus service is not. The distance makes offering regular service there difficult without disrupting the rest of the system.
Council approved a $2.45 million contract with Apache Underground & Excavating LLC to complete the Water Transmission Main 595 Project, involving the installation of approximately 2.5 miles of new water transmission line.
Ashbaugh explained that the project was delayed for more than a year due to federal environmental and cultural resource reviews required by the Army Corps as well as by last year’s government shutdown.
To keep the project moving and avoid price increases, the city authorized the contractor to purchase nearly $1 million in ductile iron pipe before the previous contract expired. The pipe has now been delivered to the site, and the city will be able to move forward with construction once the remaining environmental approvals are finalized and WIFA loan funds become available. This could happen as early as June.
The city expects to receive reimbursement for project costs through a US Army Corps of Engineers 595 Grant, and the local match of 25% will come from a pending WIFA "Drinking Water State Revolving Fund" loan.
Related to this contract, the council also approved an increase to the city’s procurement authorization to $3,000,000 for job order contracting construction services, in order to accommodate the size of the contract.
Council also approved motions for the following:
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Full minutes can be found by going to the City of Globe website at https://www.globeaz.gov/government and clicking on Agendas/Minutes in the bottom left-hand corner.
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