Florence council approves rezoning, equipment grants and vehicle purchase; posts notice for possible sales tax increase

Florence Town Council on Jan. 6 approved several agenda items in a meeting that combined routine business with a handful of notable approvals.

Rezoning and development: The council approved ordinance 777‑26 to rezone the MDI Rock site at 7309 W. Arizona Farms Road from a planned unit development to a light‑industrial district, with stipulations negotiated between the applicant and neighboring Dobson family. Taylor Earl, attorney for the applicant, said the use will provide landscape rock retail and is a "low traffic generator" that supports future local development.

Community organizations: Council recommended that American Legion Post No. 9 be allowed to apply for a state bingo license and will forward the application to the Arizona Department of Gaming. Councilmembers spoke in favor, noting community and veteran benefits.

Capital equipment and grants: Council authorized purchase of a Pierce Enforcer PUC 100 fire truck, funded from general capital/construction tax, with a not‑to‑exceed price of $2,597,240.40. Finance staff described multi‑year funding and the option to prepay or invest funds to capture a vendor discount. The council also accepted an Arizona Department of Environmental Quality grant for $217,784.52 to buy a trailer‑mounted asphalt processing unit designed to mill and reuse asphalt; staff estimated it could divert about 475 tons annually and save an estimated $169,000 per year in landfill fees.

Budget and tax code actions: Council authorized staff to post a notice of intent and schedule a public hearing (March 17, 2026) for a possible sales tax increase; council members emphasized this action is only to post notice and that any rate would be set after public budget work sessions. Separately, council authorized posting a Feb. 17, 2026, public hearing to adopt amendments from the 2014 Model City Tax Code to clarify town tax definitions (no rate change).

Consent and administration: The consent agenda (items A–K) was approved with items A and H pulled for separate consideration. The town manager announced a leadership academy and departments filed written reports for public posting.

Quotes from the meeting help frame the decisions. Mayor Eaton said the Hunt/Attaway project "is moving something along that should have been done," summarizing a theme the council repeated for large capital items. On the MDI Rock rezoning, Taylor Earl said MDI "is absolutely the business, the type of development that Florence wants." Staff presentation on the asphalt processing unit described the grant as enabling the town to "divert 475 tons a year of broken milled asphalt from landfill disposal." The council closed the meeting by adjourning into executive session for legal consultation.