File #: 25-1200   
Type: Ordinance-S Status: Adopted
Meeting Body: City Council Formal Meeting
On agenda: 7/2/2025 Final action: 7/2/2025
Title: Tohono O'odham Nation Tribal 2025 Gaming Grants (Ordinance S-52146) - Citywide
District: Citywide

Title

Tohono O'odham Nation Tribal 2025 Gaming Grants (Ordinance S-52146) - Citywide

 

Description

Request to authorize the City Manager, or the City Manager's designee, to apply, accept, and if awarded, enter into related agreements for up to $1,435,918.24 in new funding from the Tohono O'odham Nation under the 2025 funding cycle. Further request authorization for the City Treasurer to accept, and the City Controller to disburse funds as directed by the Tohono O'odham Nation in connection with these grants.

 

Report

Summary

If awarded, these monies would be applied, as directed by the Tohono O'odham Nation, towards the following:

 

City Applications

  • Human Services Department: $50,000 for the Bridge to Success Workforce Pilot program, which will support low-income individuals and families transitioning from public assistance to full-time employment by providing short-term financial assistance that mitigates the negative financial impact of the 'benefits cliff', thereby improving job retention, long-term economic stability, and reducing reliance on public benefits.
  • Office of Sustainability: $130,000 for the Energy Access Plan, which will fund the creation of a full-time temporary staff position whose role prioritizes the execution of the Energy Access Plan and fund the implementation of the actions.
  • Phoenix Fire Department: $49,956 for the Trauma Bleeding Control Program, which will procure 24 advanced multi-casualty cabinets and 200 individuals refill kits. These kits will be strategically placed in high-traffic public facilities, including Phoenix City Hall, the Phoenix Convention Center, libraries, and courts, ensuring widespread availability and rapid access, in the event of a mass trauma event.
  • Phoenix Fire Department: $15,000 for the Peer Fitness Trainer Certification Program, which will fund certification of ten members through the nationally recognized IAFF/IAFC Peer Fitness Trainer program and complementary nutrition certification training. This will empower Fire Peer Fitness Trainers to deliver safe, effective fitness programs and support long-term wellness and injury recovery across the Fire Department.
  • Phoenix Fire Department: $44,254.50 for the Unmanned Aircraft System, which will fund the acquisition of a secure, high-performance small, unmanned aircraft system platform with integrated operations management software to enhance situational awareness and responder safety during emergency incidents.
  • Phoenix Police Department: $25,200 for Fingerprint Scanners, which will enable real-time identification based on biometric technology. These devices will allow officers to accurately identify violent criminals within minutes in the field rather than transporting them to a precinct for identification purposes.
  • Planning and Development Department: $50,000 for the Rio Reimagined Community Connection, which will study and identify corridors that will reconnect residents, students, visitors, and others to the Rio Salado (Salt River) in Phoenix.
  • Public Defender's Office $59,500 for the Empowering Change Project, which will enhance the City of Phoenix Veterans Court Treatment Program for Homeless Veterans.
  • Public Works Department: $30,697.24 for the Food Waste Pilot Program, which will introduce a Zero-Waste education curriculum and waste sorting system focused on helping to reduce food waste, lower transportation-related emissions, and strengthen resiliency education across a selected Phoenix-based school district. Through the pilot, students and staff will gain a deeper understanding of how to establish food security, mechanisms for resource conservation, and the environmental impact of food waste, including its diversion practices, the program supports extending landfill lifespan and establishing a community that is sustainability driven.
  • Public Works Department: $162,950 for the Lithium-Ion Battery Collection and Education program, which will educate the public of the dangers with improper disposal of lithium-ion batteries and enable pathways for more recycling, reuse and proper disposal.

 

Non-Profit Applications

  • Arizona Center for Nature Conservation dba Phoenix Zoo: $35,350 for the Wildlife & Water: Monitoring Mammal Communities in Relationship to Water Availability in the Atascosa Complex, which will support a wildlife and water study of the mammal ecology using wildlife cameras and environmental DNA.
  • Arizona Educational Foundation: $20,000 for the Strengthen the Arizona Public Education System, which will expand its A+ School of Excellence Award program, Principals Leadership Academy of Arizona, Arizona State Spelling Bee program, teachSTEM program, and Arizona Teacher of the Year Awards across public schools in Maricopa County. It will provide more educators with leadership training and professional development, increase student access to literacy and STEM enrichment programs, and recognize outstanding public schools and teachers.
  • Arizona Forward: $15,000 for the Emerging Sustainability Leaders Program, which is statewide and benefits mid-level professionals throughout the state, especially in Phoenix, Tucson and Flagstaff communities. Businesses from all over the state can nominate emerging sustainability leaders to participate in the educational program.
  • Arizona Humanities: $25,000 for the Brian Young Book Tour & Creative Writing Workshops, which will bring a book tour and creative writing workshops to ten locations led by Navajo young adult author Brian Young. The program promotes Indigenous youth literacy and provides the opportunity to explore their own stories with a published Navajo author.
  • Arizona Sustainability Alliance: $165,562 for the Rooted Communities: Supporting Increased Shade Canopy Alongside Affordable Housing Developments and Neighborhoods Improved Projects, which will work with the City of Phoenix Housing Department to plant drought-tolerant trees in selected locations to increase shade canopy for residents, as well as provide educational workshops and monitor trees to ensure their health.
  • Chrysalis Veterans Services, Inc.: $100,000 for the Ensuring Economic Development Success for Veterans Returning to the Workforce program, which will fund a job readiness program.
  • Creighton Community Foundation: $31,837.50 for the Heritage Wetlands Space, Collaborative Accessible Arizona Wetlands Education, which will support the creation of an outdoor, community resource, which will foster community connection, enhance environmental education, and promote sustainable practices.
  • Desert Foothills Library Association: $7,500 for the Book Buds Intergenerational Book Club, which will increase youth/senior reading enjoyment and minutes read.
  • Downtown Phoenix Inc.: $25,000 for the Community Resource Hub, which will help build a healthier, safer, and more connected downtown. It serves as the focal point to deliver community programs and help reduce the level of homelessness in the area.
  • Duet: Partners in Health & Aging: $20,000 for the Essential Services to Keep Homebound Seniors Healthy and Housed, which will help improve the physical and emotional health, wellbeing, and safety of older adults and help those who are especially vulnerable avoid becoming homelessness.
  • Gabriel's Angels: $10,000 for the Pet Therapy Program, which will ensure that children receive critical assistance in developing reading skills that ensure success in school but also develop core strengths needed to develop socially.
  • Heard Museum: $10,000 for Youth & Family Programming, which will enhance the Heard Museum's Youth and Family programming, connecting young people with Native culture and ensuring that future generations continue to value and appreciate this vital aspect of Arizona's tribal heritage.
  • Human Services Campus, Inc. dba Keys to Change: $100,000 for Critical Client Services, which will support a comprehensive range of programs tailored to meet the evolving needs of individuals experiencing homelessness in the greater Phoenix metropolitan area. The approach centers on collaboration, both with partner organizations on the Key Campus and throughout the broader community, providing targeted solutions that address each person's unique barriers to housing.
  • Justa Center: $40,000 for the Path to Housing program, which will support a customized support to Justa Center members as they strive to secure stable housing, untapped income sources such as Social Security and disability benefits, and health care coverage.
  • MIKID Mentally Ill Kids in Distress: $25,000 for the Children's Behavioral Health, which will grow access to children's behavioral health care for families that lack insurance coverage and improve the quality of behavioral health care by providing food and engaging activities for the kids.
  • Phoenix Indian Center, Inc.: $55,000 for Bridging the Gaps for Indigenous Cultural Connection and Direct Assistance, which will fund language and cultural programming and direct assistance for community members.
  • Phoenix Rescue Mission: $20,000 for the Five Star Quality First Childcare Center, which will support the center and program, including Pre-K curriculum, program staff and kindergarten readiness.
  • Rosie's House: A Music Academy for Children: $5,000 for the Free After School Music and Leadership Program for Under-Resourced Youth, which will support after school music education and leadership opportunities for 700 under served students.
  • Sonoran University of Health Sciences: $25,000 for the Community Health Program, which will support community clinics through direct-care operational support.
  • St. Joseph the Worker: $25,000 for the Workforce Development Program, which provides pathways to self-sufficiency for disadvantaged populations, with employment as the foundation. The program is essential in preventing homelessness by helping clients overcome the diverse of barriers they face on the path to employment.
  • United Cerebral Palsy of Central Arizona: $43,111 for the Inclusive Basketball for Adults with Disabilities, which will provide sun sails (shade structures) over an existing basketball court and help create a first of its kind inclusive basketball program specifically tailored to providing engaging health care opportunities for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
  • United Services Organizations, Inc.: $15,000 for the USO Arizona Military Youth Programs, which will support military youth educational programs in Arizona, such as Preschool Power Hours and back to school resources fairs to give local military youth all the educational resources, tools, and supplies needed to be successful in local schools.

 

The gaming compact entered into by the State of Arizona and various tribes calls for 12 percent of gaming revenue to be contributed to cities, towns, and counties for government services that benefit the general public, including public safety, mitigation of impacts, and promotion of commerce and economic development.  The Tohono O'odham Nation will notify the City, by grant-in-aid agreement, of the Tribal Council's decision, if it desires to convey to the City or local nonprofits a portion of its annual 12 percent local revenue-sharing contribution.

 

Financial Impact

There is no budgetary impact to the City and no general-purpose funds are required. Entities that receive gaming grants are responsible for the management of those funds.

 

Department

Responsible Department

This item is submitted by City Manager Jeffrey Barton and the Office of Government Relations.