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Record of Proceedings

Chandler City Council Meeting Summary - October 16, 2025

Public Meetings — Friday, October 17, 2025
BodyChandler, Arizona
SessionPublic Meetings
DateFriday, October 17, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:08:36

Transcript — Verbatim
2:07

Good evening and welcome to the October sixteenth regular meeting of the Chandler City Council.

2:13

We've got a lot of fun awards and acknowledgements this morning, so uh what a fun day to be with us.

2:20

Clerk, would you please take the roll?

2:22

Mayor Harkey.

2:23

Present.

2:23

Vice Mayor Ellis.

2:24

Here.

2:25

Councilmember and Sinus.

2:26

Here.

2:26

Councilmember Poston.

2:28

Here.

2:28

Councilmember Orlando.

2:29

Here.

2:30

Councilmember Harris?

2:31

Here.

2:31

And Councilmember Hawkes Hawkins is absent.

2:34

Excused.

2:34

We have a quorum.

2:35

Thank you so much.

2:36

Our indication tonight will be brought forth by Pastor Esther Green from the Chandler Seventh Day Adventist Church.

2:44

And our Pledge of Allegiance by Councilmember Harris.

3:04

You've led us to be here.

3:06

And you've given us charge, dear God.

3:15

We ask for your prudence.

3:16

We ask for your order.

3:18

And we pray all these things in the name of Jesus.

3:21

Amen.

3:21

Amen.

3:22

Thank you, Pastor.

3:23

Please join me in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance.

3:49

Next on our agenda is scheduled public appearances.

5:04

Well, how exciting.

5:06

We have 17 students that attend Chandler Unified Schools have made history on the global stage, earning top honors at the International Academic Decathlon during the World Youth Forum, future liberal arts leadership summit 2025 in Macau, China.

5:26

How exciting.

5:28

This event brought together students from across the globe to showcase critical thinking, collaboration, and leadership skills while solving real world challenges.

5:39

We are incredibly proud of these Chandler students for showing the world what Chandler is capable of.

5:46

So tremendous uh joy to have all you guys here.

5:51

And who would like to say some words?

5:56

So we're really um happy for the opportunity to have represented the state of Arizona.

6:01

These students were chosen based on their state scores and national scores to represent the United States.

6:10

And when we got the call that we needed to pick the best students in the state to go compete on a global level, we didn't realize we would have 17 of those right here in the city of Chandler.

6:24

So it's truly a testament to the community that we have here in Chandler, of which I've lived since 1996.

6:37

I think that's about 29 years.

6:40

So we're happy to have represented the United States, the state of Arizona, and largely the city of Chandler.

6:50

So these are the best of the best, and they worked really, really hard.

6:56

Um just to say what they did.

6:59

Um team blue, raise your hands.

7:03

This is our eighth grade team.

7:05

Our eighth grade team placed first overall in the world.

7:15

Team Copper, raise your hands.

7:19

This is our high school team, one of two, and they placed first overall in the world.

7:32

Team Yellow.

7:33

Raise your hands.

7:35

This is our seventh grade or our eighth grade, no, seventh grade team, and they play second place overall for junior high.

7:47

In the world.

7:48

And team red, raise your hands.

7:51

Now they might not have the bling, but they worked really hard and they came out smashing.

7:55

They placed fifth overall in the world, and there is all that's only to be celebrated.

8:01

So great job, Rick.

8:06

All right, so before we take a picture, how many how many teams were there that competed?

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural███████████████15%
Youth Programs███████████████15%
Public Safety███████████████15%
Public Engagement████████████12%
Technology and Innovation████████████12%
Community Engagement████████8%
Data Center Development████████8%
Affordable Housing█████5%
Military Affairs████4%
Summary of Proceedings

Chandler City Council Meeting Summary - October 16, 2025

The Chandler City Council convened for its regular meeting on October 16, 2025, beginning with public commendations for local students and community partners, followed by the adoption of the consent calendar and a series of unscheduled public comments addressing local ordinances, public health, and legal representation. The meeting concluded with current events updates, including semiconductor industry growth and budget engagement opportunities, before adjourning.

Consent Calendar

  • Action: The Council approved the consent agenda (items 1-39) for October 16, 2025. The motion passed unanimously for most items; however, Item 2 (regarding rates) received a majority vote with two specific "no" votes from Councilmember Poston and Councilmember Hawkins, who indicated their opposition was intended to facilitate discussion on the rates themselves rather than block the process.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Senator Kirsten Sinema (Speaker & Position): Expressed strong support for Chandler leading the "AI revolution" by developing an AI data hub on the Price Road Innovation Campus. She argued that traditional industry models are obsolete and that the council must adapt to attract AI-related jobs, warning that federal preemption could render the site vacant if not developed now.
  • Joy Martin (Speaker & Position): Requested the adoption of a reasonable ordinance to regulate large-scale bird feeding in residential areas. She expressed specific concern regarding commercial-sized feeders causing property damage, noise, odor, and an excess of birds, noting the issue has worsened over the past year despite previous discussions.
  • Jimmy Cutt (Speaker & Position): Expressed urgent concern regarding public health failures at Sunbird Golf Course, specifically the standing water breeding mosquitoes. He argued that the City must enforce ordinances mandating drainage within 36 hours and maintain dry wells, asserting that inaction constitutes operational neglect under specific Arizona Revised Statutes.
  • Brook Bill (Speaker & Position): Expressed significant concern regarding the disrespect for the rule of law by the Chandler Police Department. He cited a lack of enforcement for Class 3 misdemeanors and specific incidents where officers lacked knowledge of laws regarding e-bikes in the canal, stating that an educational approach alone is insufficient.
  • Shannon Hayes (Speaker & Position): Highlighted a humanitarian crisis regarding evictions, noting that over 3,600 filings are projected for the year. She expressed disappointment that her eviction prevention organization was denied funding while another organization received $300,000 without collaborating, and she called for emergency funding for a right-to-counsel pilot program.

Discussion Items

  • AI Data Hub Development: Councilmember Poston and the public comment by Senator Sinema touched upon the need to update the Price Road General Plan to accommodate AI data centers, contrasting them with outdated data centers and commercial call centers which will soon become obsolete.
  • Bird Feeding Ordinance: In response to Joy Martin, City Manager Palmy indicated the issue is currently in a subcommittee reviewing potential prohibitions or code enforcement measures for backyard bird feeding.
  • Sunbird Golf Course Compliance: The City Manager acknowledged Mr. Cutt's complaint and agreed to investigate the drainage status and code enforcement status regarding the golf course.
  • Police Enforcement & E-bikes: Regarding Mr. Bill's comments on e-bike law enforcement, the Council noted the specific anecdote of an officer's lack of knowledge and implied a need for further review of the Police Department's educational approach.
  • Eviction Prevention Funding: The Council directed the City Manager to review the eviction data report provided by Ms. Hayes, examine existing preventative services and funding mechanisms, and determine if collaboration with other organizations (like AZ Sen) is feasible to address the lack of defense attorneys for tenants.
  • Staff Announcements: The City Manager introduced two new executive team members: Ryan Bulch (Director for Neighborhood Resources) and Marge Zilla (Director for Strategic Initiatives).

Key Outcomes

  • Consent Calendar Adoption: Approved unanimously for items 1-39, with explicit notation of two "no" votes solely regarding Item 2 (rates).
  • Director Appointments: Confirmation of the appointment of Ryan Bulch and Marge Zilla to senior leadership roles.
  • Directive to Staff: The Council directed the City Manager to engage with Senator Sinema's AI hub proposal, investigate the Sunbird Golf Course drainage and code enforcement issues, follow up with Joy Martin on the bird feeding subcommittee status, review police department training on e-bike laws, and analyze the eviction prevention funding strategy.
  • Public Awareness: Proclamation of October 2025 as Cybersecurity Awareness Month was finalized and recognized by the Cybersecurity team.

Meeting Transcript

Good evening and welcome to the October sixteenth regular meeting of the Chandler City Council. We've got a lot of fun awards and acknowledgements this morning, so uh what a fun day to be with us. Clerk, would you please take the roll? Mayor Harkey. Present. Vice Mayor Ellis. Here. Councilmember and Sinus. Here. Councilmember Poston. Here. Councilmember Orlando. Here. Councilmember Harris? Here. And Councilmember Hawkes Hawkins is absent. Excused. We have a quorum. Thank you so much. Our indication tonight will be brought forth by Pastor Esther Green from the Chandler Seventh Day Adventist Church. And our Pledge of Allegiance by Councilmember Harris. You've led us to be here. And you've given us charge, dear God. We ask for your prudence. We ask for your order. And we pray all these things in the name of Jesus. Amen. Amen. Thank you, Pastor. Please join me in reciting the Pledge of Allegiance. Next on our agenda is scheduled public appearances. Well, how exciting. We have 17 students that attend Chandler Unified Schools have made history on the global stage, earning top honors at the International Academic Decathlon during the World Youth Forum, future liberal arts leadership summit 2025 in Macau, China. How exciting. This event brought together students from across the globe to showcase critical thinking, collaboration, and leadership skills while solving real world challenges. We are incredibly proud of these Chandler students for showing the world what Chandler is capable of. So tremendous uh joy to have all you guys here. And who would like to say some words? So we're really um happy for the opportunity to have represented the state of Arizona. These students were chosen based on their state scores and national scores to represent the United States. And when we got the call that we needed to pick the best students in the state to go compete on a global level, we didn't realize we would have 17 of those right here in the city of Chandler. So it's truly a testament to the community that we have here in Chandler, of which I've lived since 1996. I think that's about 29 years. So we're happy to have represented the United States, the state of Arizona, and largely the city of Chandler. So these are the best of the best, and they worked really, really hard. Um just to say what they did. Um team blue, raise your hands. This is our eighth grade team. Our eighth grade team placed first overall in the world. Team Copper, raise your hands.

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