In February 2007, at the Town Council retreat, a goal was developed, and
adopted April 5, 2007, to create a responsible environmental policy for
the town. Town staff researched what was in place in town policies &
practices, what other cities and towns were doing and assembled a
comprehensive list of over 40 "opportunities" for the community to
evaluate. These opportunities impact Air Quality, Dark Skies, Water,
Noise, Recycling, Hazardous Waste, Energy, Solar Energy, Solid Waste and
Trails and Natural Environment.

Staff then put together a team consisting of town staff, council members
and representatives from organizations providing town services including
the Fountain Hills Unified School District, Chaparral City Water Company
and the Fountain Hills Sanitary District to help sort through the
opportunities. This process included preparing a matrix of the
opportunities which included a brief description and a suggested
priority, timeframe and cost. Several team meetings were held to share
experiences and views with the objective of producing a consensus of the
"high priority" items. That effort was completed on October 23.

Next steps are to do a more detailed study of the high priority items
agreed to and validate the timeframes and costs estimated in the
research. Staff will research published documents and contact
communities with experiences with these environmental opportunities. In
about a month, the team will be provided a summary and detailed backup
documentation of the research efforts. A team meeting will then be
scheduled at the end of November or early December to voice their views
on what should be the Town's priorities. A work study session with the
Town Council may be scheduled following the team meeting.

Final recommendations will be presented to the Town Council for their
consideration in the spring of 2008.