Tait Elkie separated himself from other candidates for Town Council at a campaign forum last week by advocating a change in how the town receives its legal advice.

Elkie, an attorney, said one of his biggest concerns is the manner in which a number of lawsuits have been handled in the past.

He said he does not like the fact that the town attorney works for a law firm under contract to the town paid with billable hours.

Elkie said he would prefer to have an attorney working under the town manager with closer ties to the town and does not see the community simply as a client.

He made particular note of the suit brought against the town by its previous landlord. Elkie said the judge in the case was critical of the town’s legal team for delaying progress in the case.

Councilman Mike Archambault, running for a third term on the council, said Elkie was not privy to closed executive sessions regarding the case so he should withhold his opinion.

Archambault said the town tried to get the landlord to sign a new lease so the town could legally proceed with paying taxes and other obligations.

“You need all of the information to make the right decisions,” Archambault said.

Councilman Henry Leger said the town has worked hard the past few years to resolve a number of outstanding lawsuits and much of it came together at one time.

The town attorney operates with the best interest of the town in mind, Leger said, and in many cases it is the town’s risk management company that manages the lawsuits, not the town attorney.

Councilwoman Ginny Dickey said the council is responsible for lawsuits. She said ultimately it is the council that decides whether or not to take the advice of its attorney.

Dickey also said she would be willing to look into the cost of an in-house attorney. However, she said all information she has received to this point indicates that would be a more expensive option than contracting with a firm.

On other issues the candidates appear closer together in their positions.

With regard to budgeting, Elkie said the town needs to look top to bottom to cut expenses before cutting services to residents. He said if it does come time to cut it should be done across the board to include all departments.

Archambault believes the town may be close to stability regarding expenses, revenues and staff levels.

He said the town has a staff level of 5.3 employees per 1,000 population. He said that is the second lowest in the state, and one would not want to live in the community that has the lowest.

Archambault urged citizens to step up and do their part. He said he is proud of the town’s volunteers who save the community some $500,000 a year.

Challenger Hugh Henry said he believes there are three things the town should consider in providing services. There is the absolutely necessary, such as police, fire and emergency medical services.

Henry also said the town must do its best to maintain its infrastructure.

He said where the town should be cutting is in the “nice to have” category. He also noted that the town has already made a significant reduction in employees.

Dickey said staff looks at expenses constantly making decisions about what is needed and what is not. She said the town has a competent, professional staff that is doing a good job.

Dickey added that in looking at cuts no one should be exempt, but she also cautioned about making reactionary decisions about budget cuts.

The town needs to maintain the long-term integrity of the community when looking at cutting expenses, Dickey said.

Leger said staff has been planning for the day expenses would exceed revenue, and although it came much quicker than expected, staff was prepared.

He said he believes the town is in a fiscally healthy position. He also noted he does not think the town can cut staff much further and maintain the integrity of the organization.

Trash question

Trash collection is still a major topic as the town gets closer to sending requests for proposals to hauling vendors for their consideration.

Generally the incumbent candidates are ready to wait for the RFPs to come back before rendering a final decision.

Leger noted that the Town of Queen Creek just awarded a single hauler contract and it was a small company, and citizens would be paying $15.40 per month for the services provided.

It can’t be certain how Fountain Hills might compare, but it does show the small companies were willing and able to be competitive with the big companies, Leger said.

Although Elkie is not a supporter of the single trash hauler scenario, he prefers to keep the competitive situation the town currently has, he said he is willing discuss, and agrees the town should find ways to reduce the wear and tear on the streets done by the heavy trucks.

Henry advocates using two or three zones with companies bidding on each zone. He also suggested placing the trash cans on the same side of the street so the trucks only have to go one direction.

Henry also said the town should not dictate to the homeowners associations and those that want to keep their own service should be allowed to.

Dickey, however, said the town should include the HOAs. The town does not want to give up any cost advantage that goes with including everyone.

All of the candidates are supportive of the Downtown Vision Plan, although there are varying degrees of confidence in the effectiveness of the program.

Hugh Henry said he sees a lot of shopping areas along the freeway in Scottsdale where the “big box” retailers are moving out and leaving vacancies.

He said the economy is simply not good enough for developers to make a commitment to such a project.

Archambault is much more enthusiastic about the prospects for development downtown. He said town Economic Development Administrator Lori Gary has several large developers who have expressed an interest.

He said it is time for the town to get professional about marketing its assets and he believes Gary is doing an excellent job.

All the candidates said the town can be working on the mechanics of zoning and land use to make it as easy as possible for developers to move forward when things turn around.

The forum last week is the only one to be sponsored by the Fountain Hills Civic and Cultural Association this election cycle.

There are however, other tentative get togethers by the candidates including the Chamber of Commerce and possibly other groups wanting to hear their stand.