Mesa City Council Meeting - November 3, 2025
Mesa City Council Meeting - November 3, 2025
The Mesa City Council met on November 3, 2025, for a business meeting that included a proclamation declaring November as Be Kind America Month, passage of the consent agenda and a related item, and public comments on the climate action plan, city governance, and immigration enforcement. Councilmember Adams participated via Zoom.
Consent Calendar
- The consent agenda (items marked with an asterisk) was approved unanimously by a vote of all members present, including Councilmember Adams via Zoom. Items included: approval of previous meeting minutes; liquor license applications for Zong Smokeshop, Main Burger, and Crust Simply Italian; contracts for the Greenfield Water Reclamation Project reliability improvements and Fire Station 202 rebuild (funded by 2022 public safety bonds); a dollar limit increase for Motorola and Kenwood radio equipment parts for the police department; term contracts for street sweeper/sewer cleaner parts and masonry wall cleaning/painting/repair services; continuance of a furniture contract for Sun Air to the November 17 meeting; a contract for excess workers' compensation insurance; a resolution to accept Victims of Crime Act grant funds for the prosecutor's office victim services unit; a resolution for a property exchange with Sunshine Acres Children's Home for a sewer lift station; and a resolution for a general plan amendment (item 6A) for 60 acres at Warner and Hawes Roads, changing the place type from urban center to urban residential.
Public Comments & Testimony
- Item 6B (removed from consent): Kerry Davis spoke in support, stating that single-family home housing is very beneficial to the community and that he would like to encourage more single-family building and less multi-family, high-density building.
- Citizen Comment (Item 7): David Winstanley (resident of Encore at Eastmark, District 6) asked the council to revisit the Mesa Climate Action Plan for three reasons: a perceived change in consensus on climate change (citing Bill Gates and Bjorn Lomborg), the plan's heavy reliance on expected federal funding that he believes will not materialize, and the argument that small local changes cannot meaningfully compete with emissions from China.
- Florence Shemoy accused the council of being complicit in stripping citizens' rights, particularly regarding racial profiling and sentencing in Mesa's prison system, and criticized the council for not reading public comments and for limiting public participation.
- Tim Meyer expressed strong support for the city's 287(g) immigration enforcement plan, thanking the council for their support on that issue.
- City Clerk Mosley noted that numerous online comments were submitted and will be posted on the city webpage the following day.
Discussion Items
- Item 6B (General Plan Amendment 25-462): After public comment, the council entertained and unanimously approved a motion to approve the item (vote: all members present, including Councilmember Adams by Zoom). The nature of the item was not specified in the transcript beyond its removal from the consent agenda.
Key Outcomes
- The council unanimously approved the consent agenda and item 6B.
- November was declared Be Kind America Month in Mesa, and the city was designated an official "Be Kind City" by the Be Kind People Project.
- The meeting was adjourned by unanimous vote.
- No further action was taken on citizen comments regarding the climate action plan, city governance, or immigration enforcement.
Meeting Transcript
Thank you for that introduction. Welcome to the Mesa City Council meeting for November 3rd, 2025. Councilmember Adams is participating by Zoom. Other council members are present. I want to remind everyone this is a business meeting and it may maintain proper decorum. Please refrain from clapping, cheering, or other disruptions. These interruptions make it difficult to move through the agenda to complete city business and for each speaker to be heard. If you engage in such conduct that disrupts the meeting, such as shouting, clapping, or any other loud noise, you may be removed. This is your warning. But before, as we get started here, I'd like to acknowledge our mayor's youth committee who is here with us today. Thank you for joining Mayor's Youth Committee. Could you please stand? All right. Thank you. You be seated. Thanks for being here. Uh, with that, uh, we're going to begin with an invitation uh this evening by Reverend Wendy Atkin from the Red Mountain United Math Methodist Church, and then members of the Youth Committee were going to come up and lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance. Reverend, please come forward. Please stand. Good evening, Mayor Freeman, Council members and other city officials. Thank you for inviting me here this evening. Please join me in prayer according to your faith tradition. Mighty creator, source of all wisdom and understanding. I begin by offering gratitude on behalf of all who are gathered here. We thank you for life itself and for your many and abundant blessings. We thank you for religious freedom that allows us to pray together and to embrace you or reject you. Thank you for loving us from your boundless and gracious nature, despite our choices and decisions. Loving and merciful one, bless those who hold office in our local government. Keep them safe from harm as they serve our community. I pray for Mayor Freeman for the various levels of city officials, and for this assembled city council. Please grant them the following. A reminder of our common humanity as they serve our neighbors and strive to be good stewards of your creation. Open ears to listen attentively to one another. Open minds with clarity of thought and vision to discern what is right and just for all members of our community. Open and softened hearts that move us from awareness into action in response to the welfare and needs of the vulnerable and those who have been furloughed and those lacking their full step benefits. A spirit of unity and mutual respect with an added dose of patience, making room for harmony, even and especially when there is honest disagreement, strength and integrity to lead with courage and compassion, wisdom and confidence to govern amid the conflicting interests and issues of our time, deep hunger for justice and righteousness and personal peace in their lives and joy in their tasks. Amen. Amen. Thank you, Reverend. Thank you. Those in the mayor's youth committee want to come forward and lead us in the pledge. Just come up to the microphone there and let us know when you're ready to start. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. And to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Thank you very much. As we continue to focus on building a strong, respectful and connected community, November is recognized as Be Kind America Month in Mesa. It is a reminder that kindness and civility starts with each of us. And to share more important words about this, I'd like to invite Councilmember Spielsbury to say a few words. Councilmember. Thank you so much, and I'm so excited that our Mayor's Youth Committee is here tonight because you are our future leaders.
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