Tempe City Council Subcommittees are designed to tackle community challenges and to find outcomes that serve the people of our city. 

When the policy work on the issue is complete, the committee can be sunset and the work of instituting new policies, programs or ordinances is sent to City of Tempe staff to implement.

These Council Subcommittees have sunset:

Motorized and Electric Mobility Device Safety

Start Date: Announced at the Sept. 4, 2025 Work Study Session 

End Date: June 11, 2026 Work Study Session

Chair: Councilmember Jennifer Adams

Subcommittee Members: Councilmember Berdetta Hodge

Purpose: The purpose of this subcommittee is to evaluate and recommend strategies to enhance safety and public awareness for electric bicycles, scooters, and other micromobility devices in the City of Tempe. The Council subcommittee is dedicated to improving rider safety, minimizing injuries, and promoting equitable access to sustainable mobility options.

Background: The use of motorized and electric bicycles, scooters, and skateboards has surged in communities across Arizona, providing residents and visitors with affordable, accessible, and environmentally friendly transportation options. However, rapid adoption has also brought challenges related to safety, regulation, and public perception.

 The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission (USCPSC) published a study which found that there was a spike in emergency room-treated injuries from 2017-2021 in accidents that involved motorized scooters, bikes, and hoverboards.

Injuries rose 127% with over 77,200 injuries and 129 fatalities over the four-year period (Plattner Verderame, 2023).

 The subcommittee collaborates with city departments, schools, businesses, and community partners to:

1. Analyze local injury and crash data involving e-bikes and scooters
2. Review best practices from comparable cities
3. Identify opportunities to strengthen safety regulations
4. Enhance existing education and outreach efforts for riders and motorists

These steps enable the Council subcommittee to develop practical, evidence-based recommendations that enhance public safety and promote transportation equity.

Ordinance NO. O02026.33

Community Engagement and Connection

Start Date: Announced at the Sept. 4, 2025 Work Study Session

Chair: Vice Mayor Doreen Garlid

Subcommittee Members: Councilmember Arlene Chin and Councilmember Nikki Amberg

Purpose: The purpose of this Council subcommittee is to examine the City’s methods and activities related to community engagement and connection. Its objectives is to focus on strengthening relationships and fostering collaboration to achieve positive outcomes, such as increasing participation in Tempe’s Boards and Commissions, expanding community involvement, and building stronger partnerships. These efforts directly influence the overall health and wellness of the community by creating a more connected, engaged, and supportive environment.

Background: Tempe has long been committed to building and maintaining strong community relationships. Public meetings, surveys, and Boards and Commissions have served as key communication pathways for engaging with the community and gathering valuable feedback on city programs, projects, processes, and budgets. While these methods have evolved over time, the focus is on what further actions can be taken to broaden our community engagement efforts, increase interest in serving on commissions, improve neighborhood stewardship, and foster civil public discourse, while creating a stronger sense of belonging for all residents. This Council subcommittee serves as the method to analyze and explore ways to achieve those goals.

Animal Welfare and Cruelty in Tempe 

Drink Spiking Education and Prevention Council Committee

Start Date: Announced at the April 24, 2025 Work Study Session

Chair:  Councilmember Randy Keating

Subcommittee Members: Vice Mayor Doreen Garlid and Councilmember Berdetta Hodge

Purpose: The purpose of this subcommittee is to explore the issue of drink spiking in bars, restaurants, and nightlife environments, aiming to foster safer drinking environments, strengthen harm reduction strategies, and promote public health initiatives focused on responsible consumption.

Background:  Tempe is home to a historically vibrant nightlife scene, centered around the iconic Mill Avenue and extending beyond, with a thriving bar, restaurant, festival, and brewery culture. Yet, like many cities with popular entertainment districts, drink spiking remains a serious and often underreported public safety issue.  A recent survey from a Top 10 public university found that 77% of students surveyed had either been drugged or knew someone who had (KnoNap, 2024). Additional research from Anglia Ruskin University revealed that only one in ten drink spiking incidents are reported to law enforcement.  To promote a safer nightlife environment, Councilmember Keating collaborates with the Tempe Chamber of Commerce, Downtown Tempe Authority, Arizona State University, Tempe Police, and other community partners. The subcommittee assesses the prevalence of drink spiking and recommends targeted public health policy initiatives to help address the issue. 

Age-Friendly Tempe Council Subcommittee

Start Date: Announced at the June 12, 2025 Work Study Session

Chair: Vice Mayor Doreen Garlid

Subcommittee Members: Councilmember Randy Keating and Councilmember Nikki Amberg

Purpose: The purpose of this subcommittee is to develop and implement the Age-Friendly Tempe 2026–2031 Action Plan to enhance livability for all ages and maintain the city’s AARP Age-Friendly Community Designation.

 Background: Tempe has been recognized as an Age-Friendly Community by AARP since 2022, reflecting its commitment to creating a livable environment for residents of all ages. As part of ongoing efforts to retain this designation and further integrate age-friendly principles into city planning and programming, the proposed Age-Friendly Tempe 2026–2031 Action Plan will align with AARP’s 8 Domains of Livability:

1. Outdoor Spaces and Buildings
2. Transportation
3. Housing
4. Social Participation
5. Respect and Social Inclusion
6. Civic Participation and Employment
7. Communication and Information
8. Health Services and Community Supports

The Council subcommittee includes representatives from city departments and external stakeholders representing each of these domains to ensure a collaborative, inclusive approach. The subcommittee reviews progress made under the current Age-Friendly 2020-2025 Action Plan, identifying successes, gaps, and opportunities to inform the development of the new plan.

Public Meeting Information: 

The Age-Friendly Tempe Draft Plan has been approved by the Council Subcommittee. The plan will be presented to City Council at the May 4, Work Study Session.

Questions: Council Assistant: Parrish Spisz 480-350-8599

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Heat Safety for Tempe & Contract Workers Council Subcommittee

Purpose: Explore improving workplace safety protections for Tempe’s public and contracted workforce operating in the extreme heat, drawing from best practices and policies adopted in other Arizona cities.

Background:  In 2024, Tempe residents were met with the warmest year on record, with 113 consecutive days at or over 100 degrees and a daily average of 1.6 degrees higher than any other year. In 2014, Maricopa County reported 61 heat-related fatalities; In 2023, that number skyrocketed to 645 deaths.

To protect the health, safety, and well-being of all Tempe employees and contracted workers, Councilmember Keating plans to collaborate with labor organizations and key stakeholders across the city and state to develop a heat protection policy for Council consideration.

Recent ordinances passed in Phoenix, Tucson, and Pima County can serve as models, while the proposed Heat Safety for Tempe Workers & Contract Workers subcommittee can assess and tailor solutions to best meet Tempe’s needs.

Councilmember Keating is proposing the subcommittee, and Councilmember Hodge and Councilmember Amberg support moving this item forward for further consideration.

The final Council Subcommittee on Heat Safety for Tempe & Contract Workers was held on Friday, May 9 at 2:00 PM.

Questions:
Keaton Hill, Council Assistant
Keaton_hill@tempe.gov 
(480) 350-8463

Increased Advocacy for Tempe Youth with Disabilities Council Subcommittee

Chair: Councilmember Berdetta Hodge

Subcommittee member: Mayor Corey Woods

Purpose: The purpose of this subcommittee is to explore how the City of Tempe can assist Tempe youth with disabilities, and their families and caregivers, navigate and better understand the resources available in Tempe and the State of Arizona for academic, career, and life success.

Background: Over the last year, families of Tempe youth with disabilities presented issues they face as they seek to ensure their children achieve long-term academic, and career, and life success. In August 2024, a group of families met twice with Councilmember Hodge requesting assistance from the City of Tempe and their school districts to achieve these goals.

To assist these families, Councilmember Hodge seeks to partner with school districts based in Tempe to explore, study, and understand ideas how to assist these individuals access resources for academic, career, and life success.

Questions

Council Assistant Vanessa Lopez
480-350-8597

Nuisance Ordinance Council Subcommittee

Chair: Vice Mayor Doreen Garlid

Subcommittee member: Mayor Corey Woods and Councilmember Arlene Chin

Purpose: The purpose of this subcommittee is to formalize the process of developing a nuisance ordinance to protect neighborhoods.

Background: Conversations about creating a nuisance ordinance were held as part work of the City Task Force on Unlawful Sober Living Homes. The task force was composed of staff from Community Health and Human Services, Tempe Police Department, Tempe Fire Medical Rescue, and Code Enforcement. Two neighborhood meetings were also held to discuss the concerns of residents regarding homes that elicit a high volume of calls for service to Police and Fire and citations by Code Enforcement. 

Public meeting information

View the March 4, 2025 virtual meeting recording, a summary of comments received is available in Documents.

Subcommittee meeting information
The subcommittee meeting is closed.

Microsoft Teams

Questions
Council Assistant Parrish Spisz
480-350-8599

Mixed-Use Space Council Subcommittee

Start Date: Announced at the June 12, 2025 Work Study Session 

Chair: Vice Mayor Chin

Subcommittee Members: Mayor Corey Woods and Councilmember Nikki Amberg

Purpose: The purpose of this subcommittee is to review and consider potential policy recommendations to encourage the activation of ground-floor retail space in mixed-use zoned properties. Activation of mixed-use zoned properties can enhance livability, visual appeal, and promote economic development, thereby resulting in greater economic outcomes within these zoned areas.

Background: Land designated in the City of Tempe as mixed-use is intended to be used for a mixture of residential and commercial uses within a development, with a potential density of up to 25 dwelling units per acre for MU-1 designation and ascending through MU-2 and MU-3 up to MU-4, which allows for density up to and above 65 dwelling units per acre in an urban core environment. According to 2023 statistics from the Tempe General Plan 2050 report, mixed-use zoned land currently accounts for 3.7 percent of land uses, or 756.3 acres. These figures are expected to increase in the future with our city’s population growth.     

Vacant ground-floor retail space in these mixed-use developments represents a missed opportunity to activate the buildings as intended, thereby not meeting the purpose of the mixed-use zoning. While developers are eager to build residential rental units in Tempe’s mixed-use zones and generally succeed in filling the development projects with residents, these buildings are sometimes left in a state that results in long-term commercial vacancies and empty, gray shells along their building frontages. These persistent vacancies have raised concerns among Tempe residents, who are seeking solutions.

A gray shell is an unfinished commercial space that requires finishing work for plumbing, electrical, flooring, walls, ductwork, and heating, ventilation, and air conditioning (HVAC). This cost burden to complete the infrastructure necessary may be prohibitive to entrepreneurs looking to start a small business and occupy the vacant space.  

This subcommittee examines the occurrence of vacancies, reviews options, and considers a municipal regulation that reduces the propensity for vacant ground-floor retail space in mixed-use developments.

Public Meeting Information:

Next meeting is Monday, June 22, at 1 p.m., Microsoft Teams 

Questions: Council Assistant: Ty Lee or 480-858-2260