Chandler City Council Meeting Summary - November 13, 2025
Chandler City Council Meeting Summary - November 13, 2025
The Chandler City Council convened on November 13, 2025, for its regular meeting, beginning with a spiritual invocation and pledge of allegiance. The meeting featured two proclamations honoring the Thanksgiving tradition and the city's designation as a "Dementia and Age-Friendly Community." The council unanimously approved the consent agenda and held public hearings for two property annexations. Unscheduled public comments focused heavily on safety concerns regarding the Consolidated Canal and persistent stormwater violations and mosquito breeding at the Sunbird Golf Course. The session concluded with various council announcements regarding recent bond elections, economic development awards, community events, and a memorial for a retired police commander.
Consent Calendar
- The council unanimously approved the consent agenda for items one through thirty (Nov 13, 2025). Councilmember Encinus moved and Councilmember Poston seconded the motion after a speaker, Melissa Latech, withdrew her concern following a discussion with staff.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Safety on the Consolidated Canal: Brooke Beale expressed strong opposition to the safety of the canal, citing a recent hit-and-run and assault incident that occurred on November 5th. Beale argued that the police department's prior assurances of safety were incorrect due to these recent events and urged the council to allocate sufficient budget resources in 2026 for patrols, stating the lack of patrols is a choice rather than a resource issue. Mayor Hartke and Assistant City Manager Willie reiterated that the canal remains safe but promised to provide Beale with the official incident report.
- Standing Water at Sunbird Golf Course (Multiple Speakers):
- Jimmy Clant: Expressed deep concern and frustration on behalf of residents, particularly the elderly. Clant noted that standing water has persisted for up to nine days after rainfall, violating the 36-hour city code requirement. He stated that previous informal discussions have failed and requested that the council direct staff to provide a specific timeline, deadline for corrective action, and the specific measures required in the notice to comply issued earlier that day.
- Sharna Larson: Expressed urgent concern for public health, specifically regarding West Nile virus transmission via mosquitoes breeding in standing water at the golf course. Larson argued that the golf course prioritization over resident safety is unacceptable and expressed a desire to "trust but verify" that mosquito pellets have been properly applied and verified as effective.
- Michelle LeBlanc: While primarily addressing basin water issues in Cooper Commons, LeBlanc strongly criticized the neglect of the 55+ community landscape, comparing the current state to a "ghetto" and urging the council to enforce maintenance standards to ensure community beauty and safety.
Discussion Items
- Proclamation: Week of Giving Thanks: Mayor Hartke and Cynthia Hardy discussed the historical roots of Thanksgiving, acknowledging the partnership between early settlers and indigenous peoples. Hardy noted her church's recognition in the Library of Congress and thanked the council for the proclamation.
- Proclamation: Dementia and Age-Friendly Community: Councilmember Encinus and community partners highlighted the designation of Chandler as a dementia and age-friendly community. Speaker (a nurse practitioner and dementia advocate) expressed full support for the initiative, citing the need for dignity and respect for those with cognitive challenges. She credited the Mental Health Department within the police force for improving responses to dementia-related calls and noted the growth of the assisted living industry in Chandler from 1,800 homes prior to her departure to 2,700 at the time of the meeting.
- Annexation 25-0004 (32.02 acres): Staff presented a proposal to annex land at the southeast corner of Applebee Road and Union Pacific Railroad. Councilmember Orlando inquired about the project, learning that staff indicated the primary development would be a prefabricated steel manufacturing facility. Councilmember Orlando asked about the timeline; staff noted the developer is attempting to develop as fast as possible and that the project would be reviewed administratively by staff, not requiring a future council vote.
- Annexation 24-0004 (18.64 acres): Staff presented a proposal to annex land south of the southwest corner of Acateo/Basha Roads for a 107-lot single-family subdivision. Councilmember Hawkins questioned the traffic impact; staff confirmed a traffic impact statement was completed and deemed acceptable by the traffic engineering team. Councilmember Orlando asked about density; staff reported a density of 5.7 dwelling units per acre, which is consistent with surrounding properties (4 units/acre to the west, 8 units/acre to the north).
Key Outcomes
- Proclamations Adopted:
- The week of November 24–28, 2025, was officially proclaimed as the "Week of Giving Thanks" in Chandler.
- The City of Chandler was officially designated as a "Dementia and Age-Friendly Community."
- Annexation Votes: Public hearings were opened for both ANX 25-0004 and ANX 24-0004. No public testimony was heard against the annexations, and the hearings were closed. (Note: Formal votes on the annexations to approve the maps and zoning were not explicitly detailed in the transcript as having concluded in the provided segment, but the public hearings were formally closed).
- Directives to Staff: Councilmember Orlando requested a report on the status of the Sunbird Golf Course standing water issue and the corrective actions being taken (requested by Jimmy Clant).
- Community Announcements:
- Council recognized the 100% passing rate of City of Chandler bond questions (87% state average passed) and the successful Chandler Career Center launch (Golden Prospector Award).
- Upcoming events announced: Chandler Pride (Nov 15), Wolfstock (Nov 15), Civic Program applications due Dec 7, Internship 101 (Dec 4), and the Tumbleweed Tree Lighting (Dec 6).
- Councilmember Hawkins announced food drives and rent/utility assistance resources are available for community members in need.
- Memorial: The council recognized the passing of retired Commander Michael Heikis after 20+ years of service to the Chandler Police Department.
Meeting Transcript
Good evening and welcome to the November 13th regular meeting of the Chandler City Council. Glad to see so many of you here, and thank you for joining us at the reception that preceded. Clerk, would you please take the role? Mayor Hartke here. Vice Mayor Ellis, Councilmember Encinus. Here, Councilmember Poston, here. Councilmember Orlando? Here. Councilmember Harris? Yeah. Councilmember Hawkins. Here. We have a quorum. Thank you so much. Our invitation tonight will be presented by Reverend Sarah Oglesby Dunigan of Valley Dunegan, I'm sorry, of Valley Unitarian Universalist Congregation, and our Pledge of Allegiance by Councilmember Poston. Spirit of life, love and community, God of many names and no name at all. Be with these leaders and community members today and every day. Help them to listen more deeply, ask more questions, and hold this community and its needs in the center of their decisions. Help them to hear all voices, especially those that have been silenced or struggled to be heard. Help them to consider far into the future and to learn from the past, so that the decisions made here will leave a legacy of thoughtful and compassionate leadership. Help them to learn and grow as leaders and as humans, shaping this community for other humans. Bless this community with compassion, integrity, and true leadership. For all of this we pray and give thanks for your guidance and love. Amen. Thank you for that. Please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the black of the United States of America and to the Republic for wishes, one nation under God, indivisible, with liberty and justice for our thank you, Reverend. Thank you, Councilmember. I'd like to invite Cynthia Hardy, and I think you've invited a couple of people to join you. Whereas Thanksgiving is a cherished tradition celebrated in gratitude for the blessings of the year and abundance we share as a community. And whereas people of faith and goodwill throughout Chandler come together in the spirit of Thanksgiving, honoring the historic roots of this observance that date back to the first gathering of gratitude shared between early settlers and indigenous peoples. And whereas we acknowledge with respect the contributions and generosity of the indigenous peoples whose stewardship of this land continues to inspire a spirit of gratitude and unity. And whereas Thanksgiving invites us to share culture, food, and fellowship, nourishing both body and soul, and strengthen our bonds as neighbors, and whereas faith, freedom, and family remain enduring pillars of our heritage, reminding us to reflect on our blessings and extend compassion to others. And whereas the week of Thanksgiving offers an opportunity for all in our community to come together and reflection, generosity, and service. Now, therefore, Kevin Hartke, mayor of the city of Chandler, Arizona, to hereby proclaim the week of November 24 to 28 as week of giving thanks in Chandler. Cynthia, would you like to share a couple of words? I want to say thank you. Um, this originated from my husband, uh Pastor Victor Hardy. We are the pilgrims from 1620. Our church is the congregational church of the valley, and those are the people that had broke bread with the indigenous people back 400 plus years ago. So I thank the mayor and the council and the staff for recognizing that you have history here, and we're noted in the Library of Congress for our church, and this will be added to that. Thank you. Let's take a photo. Let's put you in the middle, maybe a couple of you guys over here. There we go. Yeah. All right, that middle is right here. There we go. All right, scoot in there. Act like you're grateful to be next to each other.
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