Chandler City Council Regular Meeting and Study Session - December 8, 2025

The Chandler City Council convened on December 8, 2025, beginning with the Public Housing Authority Commission (PHEC) transition, followed by the regular meeting and a subsequent study session. The regular meeting focused on service recognitions, youth achievements, and community awards before moving to the consent agenda. The study session addressed critical infrastructure grants, rezoning inquiries regarding the Havenwood Manor project, and procurement strategies for fiber network upgrades and police body-worn cameras.

Consent Calendar

• Councilmember Sinus moved and Councilmember Orlando seconded the approval of the consent agenda for December 8, 2025, covering items 1 through 4 and 10 through 12. The motion carried unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Service Recognitions: City Manager John Pombier, Councilmember Hawkins, and department directors recognized long-serving staff members and community groups for their contributions.
  • Jessica Sweet (10 years, Clerk's Office) and CeCe (10 years, Connection & Impact) were commended for dedicated service.
  • William was recognized for 25 years of service in Building Plans Examination.
  • Jermaine Swinton was honored for 20 years with Public Works and Utilities.
  • The Hamilton Robotics Club students were recognized for regional and national competition success.
  • The GFOA Budget Team received their 38th consecutive Distinguished Budget Presentation Award.
  • The "Ballet Under the Stars" partnership and student participants were acknowledged for community engagement.
  • Archery athlete Aviska was recognized for her elite team status and Olympic aspirations.
• Havenwood Manor Concerns:
  • Councilmember Orlando expressed concern regarding the lack of a formal traffic study, citing resident requests for data to alleviate fears about speeding and volume. He noted that while a traffic statement was conducted, residents desired more granular data on capacity utilization. He also questioned the safety of the existing water tower for fire training and asked about potential road connectivity for the Snedeger Sports Complex.
  • Councilmember Poston expressed concern about the proximity of new homes to the Snedeger dog park and sports complex, specifically requesting details on how residents would be informed and ensuring the site plan pushes lots away from the park.
  • Councilmember Hawkins expressed a strong position regarding noise and light pollution from the adjacent Snedeger Sports Complex. He stated a fear that tournament lights and noise could become a "nuisance" to future neighbors and strongly advocated for adding explicit language regarding "lighting" and "nuisance" to the disclosure stipulations.
  • Applicant (Brennan Ray) stated that they are aware of the historic value of the site and the Basha family's history, confirming an interpretive sign and steel plaque will be installed. He reiterated that the proposed development does not generate more peak-hour traffic than the previous corporate office use and confirmed that residents had been notified via neighborhood meetings, where traffic and density were the primary concerns raised. He agreed to add the requested stipulation language regarding lighting and nuisance.

Discussion Items

• Airport Electrical Upgrades (Resolution 5958):
  • Stephen Turner presented a proposal to replace incandescent runway lighting with LEDs, noting the unavailability of replacement parts for the old equipment. He explained that the project totals approximately $1.63 million, with grants covering 97.5% (95% from FAA, 2.5% from ADOT), leaving a $40,000 city responsibility.
  • Vice Mayor Ellis expressed support for the project, emphasizing the airport's economic role and the necessity of maintaining safety standards for pilots and the community.
• Havenwood Manor Project (Resolution 5964):
  • Councilmember Orlando queried the traffic statement methodology and the status of the water tower. Staff (Darcy Smith) clarified that a traffic statement was used in lieu of a study because the new use (1,100 trips/day) represents only a 7% increase over the old use relative to Basha Road's capacity (currently under 30% utilized). She confirmed the tower is no longer used for training due to safety concerns.
  • Applicant (Brennan Ray) explained that the site was previously a corporate office for the Basha family (up to 200 employees) and that the new density (5.7) is consistent with surrounding developments. He confirmed that remediation studies will be conducted before construction begins.
  • Mayor and Council directed staff and the applicant to amend the stipulations to explicitly mention "lighting" and "nuisance" regarding the adjacent dog park and sports complex, requiring disclosure to future home buyers.
• Entertainment Use Permits:
  • Councilmember Harris requested a streamlining of the permitting process for businesses not near residential zones. He expressed a desire to move non-residential entertainment approvals to an administrative function to reduce backlog, though staff noted current code distance triggers (600 feet for indoor, 1,340 feet for outdoor) dictate when council review is required.
  • Council directed the City Manager to convene a study session to explore policy options for streamlining the administrative process.
• Fiber Network Repair and Upgrade (Item 15):
  • Dennis presented the city's fiber infrastructure program, initiated after a 2020 master plan identified gaps following a 2018 incident where a single cable cut took down half the city. The project aims to create diverse, redundant routes to prevent single points of failure.
  • Councilmember Orlando acknowledged the importance of the work, noting the city's advanced "smart city" integration and expressing agreement with the mitigation strategy.
• Body-Worn Cameras (Item 27):
  • Assistant Chief DeAndra proposed a five-year contract renewal with Axon for $3.5 million, covering 392 cameras, software, and unlimited cloud storage.
  • Councilmember Harris inquired about activation policies, data storage costs, and access security. Staff confirmed that activation is mandatory for all law enforcement activities, storage is unlimited within the contract to mitigate costs, and access is strictly logged, audited, and requires supervisory approval to prevent unauthorized review.
  • Vice Mayor Ellis noted the successful negotiation from a $5.8 million initial quote to the current $3.5 million price point and emphasized the city's ongoing evaluation of market competitors to ensure cost-effectiveness.

Key Outcomes

• Unanimous Approval of Consent Agenda: Items 1-4, 10-12, and all public recognitions were approved without objection.
• Resolution 5958 (Airport): Authorization granted to accept FAA and ADOT grants for runway lighting upgrades, reducing city cost to $40,000.
• Havenwood Manor (Resolution 5964): Conditional approval granted pending the addition of stipulation language to the contract regarding "lighting" and "nuisance" impacts from the adjacent Spediger Sports Complex, to be forwarded to residents via CCRs.
• Fiber Network: Approval granted for the procurement of repair and upgrade services to enhance network redundancy.
• Body-Worn Cameras: Authorization granted for the five-year renewal of the Axon contract for $3.5 million.
• Policy Directive: The City Manager was directed to develop a work session agenda regarding the streamlining of entertainment use permit processes.
• Next Steps: A study session is scheduled for Thursday at 4:00 PM to address policy issues regarding entertainment permits and other called-in items.