Barrett sworn in as Oro Valley mayor; council elects Robb vice mayor

ORO VALLEY, Ariz. — Melanie Barrett was sworn in Wednesday as Oro Valley's mayor, and three new council members took their seats. In its first business under the new lineup, the council unanimously elected Council Member Elizabeth Robb vice mayor and accepted a $65,000 grant from the Tohono O'odham Nation for the Vistoso Trails Nature Preserve.

Mayor Joseph C. Winfield opened the Nov. 4 meeting with all seven members present. Town Clerk Mike Standish then administered the oath to Barrett and to Council Members Rosa Dailey, Rhonda Piña and Matt Wood. Their terms run through Nov. 5, 2030. Winfield and Council Members Joyce Jones-Ivey and Josh Nicolson gave up their seats, and Barrett presided for the rest of the meeting.

Barrett, who had been vice mayor, thanked Winfield, Jones-Ivey and Nicolson for eight years of service together. The group's first accomplishment after its election, Barrett said, was getting a water bottle filler installed at Naranja Park, which then had no fillers or fountains. Barrett also said the message to "keep Oro Valley special" had resonated in the community.

In remarks, Dailey said she had been an active community member for 20 years. Piña, who previously served on the council, pledged "independent decision making." Wood said he finished third in votes and last in fundraising. He cited the town's OV Path Forward general plan, Proposition 431 on Tuesday's ballot, which he said passed by almost 80-20, as a guide for the new council.

Robb elected vice mayor; term-rotation proposal deferred

Barrett nominated Robb for vice mayor. Barrett cited Robb's service as a captain in the military and the National Guard and called Robb the top vote-getter on the council. The council approved the nomination 7-0.

Council Member Mary Murphy backed Robb but proposed changing how the post is filled. Murphy said a different council member should serve as vice mayor each year. Murphy also said no member whose seat is up for reelection should be nominated in the year before that election, to avoid giving "an unfair advantage to anybody." Murphy offered the idea as a friendly amendment.

Town Attorney Steven Zraick said the proposal was effectively a change to the town code and advised taking it up as a future agenda item. Barrett noted the code already provides for electing the vice mayor yearly. Later in the meeting, Murphy formally requested a future item for "discussion and possible action" on the rotation and election-year restriction, and the request received a second.

Dailey seeks policy on nondisclosure agreements

Dailey requested a future agenda item on a policy for town employees signing nondisclosure agreements. Dailey said a resident raised the issue at a recent special session in the context of data centers, and that such agreements are often used in other towns. The request was seconded.

Tohono O'odham grant approved after questions

Dailey pulled the $65,000 grant-in-aid agreement, Resolution No. (R)26-52, from the consent agenda to ask how the money would be spent. Dailey said the town has no plan for signage, or for anything else on the preserve property, and asked that the council get updates and input.

The grant has two parts: interpretive signage and education materials, and invasive species restoration. Parks and Recreation Director Rosalyn Epting said the signage would likely go around the pond. The town has asked the University of Arizona to help design it, and Epting said there is no cost estimate yet. Staff will return to the council for direction.

Epting said the restoration money would be combined with a separate invasive species grant from the Arizona Department of Forestry and Fire Management, which the town is finalizing. That state grant will pay to remove invasive plants, mostly around the driving range, but will not cover desert cobble. The Tohono O'odham funds would pay for the cobble and help suppress invasives in that area.

The council approved the agreement 7-0. It approved the rest of the consent agenda by voice vote, including the 2027 council meeting schedule and council liaison assignments.

Preserve project has contingency; town negotiating with designer

Public Works Director and Town Engineer Paul Keesler said the Vistoso Trails project has a projected contingency of about $130,000. That figure follows the extra money the council approved two meetings earlier.

Keesler said the town is negotiating with design firm Kimley-Horn over contractual items that were not completed. "I think there's $80,000 worth of deficit. They think there's 40," Keesler said. The two sides will "probably land somewhere between 40 and 80," and Keesler said the contingency can absorb that. A cost for sod under change order No. 8 is still pending.

The contractor hopes to finish most of the work by the end of January. The contractual completion date, originally May 11, has moved to early June after rain days were added. Keesler said the project still has about three months of schedule float. Turf will be installed last and sets the timeline.

Keesler also explained what the current spending covers and what it does not:

Included: Paths are being poured in concrete rather than stabilized decomposed granite, which Keesler called more durable, especially for people with disabilities. He told Murphy the paths will meet ADA standards. The work also includes the parking lot, turf, ramada pads and irrigation infrastructure in an area that will be planted later.
Not included: Trees, ramadas and other plantings listed as add alternates.

The pond liner has not been installed, so the pond did not capture a recent storm that Keesler said dropped about 4 inches regionwide. The liner will wait until concrete work, now poured from inside the pond to cut costs, is finished.

Dailey said trees could come from public donations. Dailey said 433 plantings have been identified for the area, town staff are preparing a list to share with the public, and the group Preserve Vistoso is expected to start with a $5,000 donation.

Public comment

Three people spoke during call to audience:

Golf course certification: A speaker said an effort to win Audubon International certification for Pusch Ridge Golf Course has completed three of six required areas. The group hopes to finish in six to seven months, working with town parks staff, the courses' management company and volunteers.
Steam Pump Ranch: Devon Sloan of the Oro Valley Historical Society, which rents an office at Steam Pump Ranch, said the society was left out of early town discussions on activating the ranch for tourism. Those discussions included a dining developer. Sloan urged the town to revive its dormant historic preservation commission.
Traffic: A resident who said they had served on the council asked for an update on a possible traffic signal at Tangerine Road and Naranja Park's secondary entrance. The resident also asked the town to post large signs at sites where major traffic changes are under consideration.

Barrett asked staff to follow up on the traffic requests.

Also discussed:

A neighborhood meeting on small-scale farming is set for 6 p.m. Nov. 12 at Canyon Del Oro Bible Church.
The council's next regular session is at 6 p.m. Nov. 18.

This report was drafted by Claude Opus 5.5 from a live transcript produced by Deepgram Nova-2, then reviewed and edited by Nicholas De Leon with Claude Opus 5.5, and published at 7:37 PM MST on November 4, 2026. Read more about how this is made.