City Hall  
City of Maricopa  
39700 W. Civic Center  
Plaza  
Maricopa, AZ 85138  
Ph: (520) 568-9098  
Fx: (520) 568-9120  
www.maricopa-az.gov  
Meeting Actions  
City Council Special Meeting  
Mayor Nancy Smith  
Vice-Mayor Vincent Manfredi  
Councilmember Eric Goettl  
Councilmember AnnaMarie Knorr  
Councilmember Amber Liermann  
Councilmember Bob Marsh  
Councilmember Henry Wade  
Wednesday, June 10, 2026  
5:00 PM  
Executive Conference Room  
1.  
2.  
Call to Order  
Roll Call  
The meeting was called to order at 5:14 p.m.  
4 -  
Present,  
Absent,  
Mayor Smith, Councilmember Goettl, Councilmember Marsh, and  
Councilmember Wade  
3 - Councilmember Knorr, Councilmember Liermann, and Vice Mayor Manfredi  
3.  
Agenda Items  
SP 26-03  
3.1  
The Mayor and Council shall meet with the City's Washington, DC based lobbying  
team, Nexxus Consulting, to discuss matters related to federal legislation and  
agencies.  
Mayor Nancy Smith and the City Council convened with the City's Washington,  
DC-based lobbying team, Nexxus Consulting, represented by Bob Holmes, Ana Ma  
and Tracee Sutton, to receive an update on federal legislative matters and the status  
of the City's ongoing federal appropriations efforts.  
Bob Holmes opened by briefing the Council on the state of federal appropriations for  
FY 2026, noting that the final portions of the budget had only recently been resolved,  
nearly three-quarters of the way through the fiscal year.  
Mr. Holmes next turned to FY 2027 appropriations. Mr. Holmes reported that the City  
had submitted a single request for $1,470,000 for a hazmat vehicle and that both U.S.  
Senators Kelly and Gallego had formally requested the earmark. He noted that the  
request was included in the Labor, Health and Human Services appropriations bill, and  
that of approximately 450 senate requests, roughly 120 had been advanced as  
finalists, with the City's request among them. He estimated that 70 to 80 of those  
finalists would ultimately be funded. Mr. Holmes expressed cautious optimism, stating  
that even if the request were not funded in the current cycle, the City would be well  
positioned to resubmit it the following year. He highlighted that the City of Maricopa  
appeared to be the only community to have received a congressionally directed  
spending request every year since their partnership began, attributing this success to  
strong staff work and well-constructed project submissions.  
Mr. Holmes also briefed the Council on the self-administration provision that Nexxus  
Consulting had worked to insert into prior legislation. He explained that this provision, if  
enacted, would allow cities meeting federal standards to directly administer federally  
earmarked projects, rather than routing funds through ADOT as a pass-through  
agency. There was general discussion.  
Next, Mr. Holmes and Intergovernmental Affairs Director Katy Proctor discussed the  
timing of a future Washington, DC visit, with Proctor suggesting a potential September  
trip. Mr. Holmes cautioned against a September visit given that members of Congress  
would largely be absent due to campaign activities, and instead suggested timing a  
visit to coincide with the active appropriations window in early 2027, when the City could  
simultaneously advocate for the FY 2027 hazmat vehicle request and begin positioning  
for FY 2028.  
Mayor Smith and the Council engaged in a broader discussion on the value of direct,  
in-person advocacy in Washington. Mayor Smith emphasized that the relationships  
built through prior visits had been instrumental in the City's federal funding success,  
noting that elected officials respond with greater accountability to their direct  
constituents. Mr. Holmes affirmed this, stating that senators and representatives are  
not accountable to lobbyists in the same way they are to elected mayors and council  
members, and that timely, strategic visits outside of high-traffic periods such as the  
National League of Cities conference had been a key factor in the City's effectiveness.  
Mr. Holmes noted that since Nexxus Consulting began working with the city in 2009,  
the total amount of federal funding secured had reached approximately $29 million.  
The discussion then turned to longer term transportation infrastructure needs. Mayor  
Smith raised the issue of SR-347 south of the city, noting that as development  
pressure increases, the existing two-lane configuration south of the bridge would  
become increasingly insufficient. Mr. Holmes acknowledged the concern but urged the  
Council to first complete the SR-347 north project before pursuing a parallel federal  
strategy for the southern segment, cautioning that requesting federal funds for the  
same corridor in close succession could undermine credibility with funding partners.  
Ms. Proctor noted that near-term solutions might include pursuing federal funding for  
loop roads and arterial alternatives, including the Sonora Desert Parkway, which  
involves a rail crossing and could qualify for Consolidated Rail Infrastructure and  
Safety Improvements (CRISI) grant funding. Mr. Holmes noted that CRISI grants can  
reach as high as $70 million and agreed that rail-crossing projects in the city, including  
those on the west side, represented meaningful federal funding opportunities.  
Councilmember Goettl raised the need to advance infrastructure projects in areas  
requiring utility crossings beneath Union Pacific rail lines, noting that such projects  
aligned well with the current administration's stated preference for infrastructure-type  
investments. Mr. Holmes agreed and encouraged the City to develop those projects as  
federal funding opportunities, particularly in light of available rail-related grant  
programs.  
4.  
Adjournment  
The meeting adjourned at 6:09 p.m.