OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Mesa City Council Study Session - May 19, 2026

City Council — Tuesday, May 19, 2026
BodyMesa, Arizona
SessionCity Council
DateTuesday, May 19, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 21:47

Transcript — Verbatim
0:01

Thank you.

0:01

Welcome to the Mesa City Council Studies session for May 18, 2026.

0:06

Councilmember Adams has participated by Zoom.

0:09

Otherwise, all their council members are present.

0:12

We'll begin the meeting with an invocation by Pastor Gregory Dansby from the Holy Temple Church of God in Christ, and followed by the Pledge of Allegiance led by Samuel Palmer, a Boy Scout Troop 54.

0:23

So if you please stand, welcome back, Pastor Dansby.

0:33

Good afternoon, everyone.

0:37

Our father and our God.

0:40

We gather in gratitude for the gift of this community and all that serve within it.

0:46

We thank God for our mayor, our council members, our city staff, first responders, faith leaders, and every resident of Mesa.

0:57

We ask you, God, to guide everyone safely in this moment in this rich tapestry of culture, belief, and tradition, that we be a strong city.

1:09

Father, fill this chamber with wisdom, that our leaders will truly discern the good for all people.

1:16

Grant them strength in this time of gift, difficult decision making, and courage to act with integrity.

1:24

Bless us and make us whole.

1:26

And we will be careful to give you glory, to give you honor, and to give you praise.

1:30

In Jesus' name we pray.

1:33

Amen.

1:34

Thank you, Pastor.

1:36

Samuel, come on up.

1:42

Please stand in, join me in the Pledge of Allegiance.

1:48

I pledge allegiance to the flag of United States of America and to the Republic for which it stands, one nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

2:06

Thank you, Samuel, for coming.

2:08

And Pastor Dansby, you're welcome to leave if you like or stay for the rest of the meeting.

2:13

Your choice.

2:18

Item one is the consent agenda.

2:20

Mr.

2:20

Christopher, if you come forward and read the consent agenda for what I have now is 5C, 7A, and 11A on consent.

2:29

Okay.

2:30

Thank you, sir.

2:31

Good evening, Mayor and Council members.

2:32

These are the items on the consent agenda.

2:33

All items listed with an asterisk will be considered as a group by the City Council.

2:37

And will be enacted with one motion.

2:39

There will be no separate discussion unless the council member or citizen request, in which event the item will be removed from the consent agenda and considered as a separate item.

2:47

Item two, approval of minutes of previous meetings is written.

2:50

Item 3A, acting on a liquor license application for Casa de Mambo, 1130 West Grove Avenue.

2:55

Item 3B, acting on liquor license application for Grab and Go, 757 South Country Club Drive.

3:00

Item 3C, Act on Electoral License Application for Target, 1517 South Signal Butte Road.

3:06

Item 3D, Acting Liquor License Application for Zaytona, 3515 South Ellsworth Road.

3:12

Item 3E, Act on Liquor License Application for Circle K, 10,744 East Elliott Road.

3:17

Item 4A, approving three-year term contract with two-year renewal options for Ford and Nissan OEM Auto and Light Duty Truck Parts for the Fleet Services Department.

3:25

Item 4B, approving three-year term contract with two-year renewal options for vehicle detection systems for intelligent transportation systems for the transportation department.

3:34

Item 4C, approving one year use of a cooperative term contract with three one-year renewal options for the purchase of epoxy coding services for the Transportation Department.

3:42

Item 4D, approving five-year term contract for powdered activated carbon for the water resources department.

3:48

Item 4E, approving 52-month use of cooperative term contract for the purchase of Apple Computer Products for the Department of Innovation and Technology.

3:56

Item 4F, approving one-year term contract with four-year renewal options for fertilizer and related commodities for the parks recreation and community facilities and the facilities management departments.

4:06

Item 4G, approving use of a cooperative contract for the purchase of E1 cycle and apparatuses for the Mesa Fire and Medical Department.

4:13

These purchases are funded by 2022 and 2024 public safety bonds.

4:18

Item 4H, approving three-year term contract with two-year renewal options for structure extrication personal protective equipment for the Mesa Fire Medical Department.

4:26

Item 4I, approving three-year term contract with two-year renewal options for fingerprinting services for various city departments, and is requested by the human resources and Mesa Police Departments.

4:35

Item 4J, approving dollar limit increase for the term contract for uniform garments for citywide departments.

4:41

Item 4K, approving contract for the Hokamp Stadium and Fitch Park Improvement Project, Construction Manager at Risk, Guaranteed Maximum Price.

4:48

Item 5A, approving resolution, enter into a grant award of the Office of Justice Programs to receive grant funds of the Mesa Public Safety Support Department's Forensic Services Division for DNA capacity enforcement and backlog reduction.

5:01

Item 5B, approving resolution, enter into an intergovernmental agreement with the flood control district of Maricopa County for design and construction of drainage improvements within the city's right-of-way.

5:10

This project's funded by the environmental compliance fee and the transportation capital improvement program.

5:15

Item 5C has been removed from the consent agenda.

5:18

Item 5D, approving resolution to enter into a foreign trade zone operator agreement with Apple Incorporated to activate and operate a high-tech manufacturing and storage facility at 3740 South Signal Budd Road.

5:29

Item 6A, approving resolution to calling the document filed with the city court entitled City of Mesa Personnel Rules, effective July 1st, 2026 to be a public record.

5:38

Item 6B, introduction of ordinance repealing the existing personnel rules applicable to the City of Mesa employees and adopting new personnel rules.

5:45

Item 7A has been removed from the consent agenda.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████████████████████37%
Public Engagement████████████████████████24%
Public Safety████████████12%
Immigration Policy████████████12%
Zoning And Land Use████████8%
Youth Programs███████7%
Summary of Proceedings

Mesa City Council Study Session - May 19, 2026

The Mesa City Council held a study session on May 19, 2026, with all members present except Councilmember Adams participating via Zoom. The meeting began with an invocation by Pastor Gregory Dansby and the Pledge of Allegiance led by Samuel Palmer. The council approved the consent agenda, conducted a public hearing on the Mesa Town Center Improvement District, and heard public comments on various topics including immigration enforcement and literacy.

Consent Calendar

  • The consent agenda was approved unanimously, including items 5C (sewer drainage improvements), 7A (fellowship hall building), and 11A (housing), which were initially removed and bundled for a single vote. Other items included approval of minutes, multiple liquor license applications (Casa de Mambo, Grab and Go, Target, Zaytona, Circle K), various contracts for fleet services, transportation, water resources, technology, and public safety bonds, as well as resolutions for grant funds, intergovernmental agreements, and personnel rules.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Noah James Markham spoke in support of items 5C, 7A, and 11A, expressing appreciation for the fellowship hall and housing initiatives.
  • Jason Smithson thanked Councilmember Heredia for supporting a swim day field trip, praised the K Ready and Beyond initiative for early literacy, and highlighted the Family Literacy Program's success over 35 years. He stressed literacy as a public safety and economic issue.
  • Maya Peterson spoke against the 287G agreement with ICE, alleging racial profiling, excessive force, and inhumane conditions in detention centers. She criticized the council for changing meeting procedures and accused them of lying and violating ethics, calling for 287G to be placed on the agenda.
  • Bob Hethcock supported the 287G agreement, citing Mesa's status as the safest major city in the U.S. He noted a 14% drop in violent crimes and high case clearance rates, attributed to police and community efforts. He opposed making Mesa a sanctuary city.

Key Outcomes

  • The council unanimously approved the consent agenda (including items 5C, 7A, and 11A) and a resolution for the Mesa Town Center Improvement District (Item 12B) with no rate increase.
  • The city clerk announced a new randomized speaker selection process for public comments under "Items from Citizens Present," effective June 1, 2026, intended to ensure equal opportunity regardless of arrival time.
  • The meeting adjourned after the public comments.

Meeting Transcript

Thank you. Welcome to the Mesa City Council Studies session for May 18, 2026. Councilmember Adams has participated by Zoom. Otherwise, all their council members are present. We'll begin the meeting with an invocation by Pastor Gregory Dansby from the Holy Temple Church of God in Christ, and followed by the Pledge of Allegiance led by Samuel Palmer, a Boy Scout Troop 54. So if you please stand, welcome back, Pastor Dansby. Good afternoon, everyone. Our father and our God. We gather in gratitude for the gift of this community and all that serve within it. We thank God for our mayor, our council members, our city staff, first responders, faith leaders, and every resident of Mesa. We ask you, God, to guide everyone safely in this moment in this rich tapestry of culture, belief, and tradition, that we be a strong city. Father, fill this chamber with wisdom, that our leaders will truly discern the good for all people. Grant them strength in this time of gift, difficult decision making, and courage to act with integrity. Bless us and make us whole. And we will be careful to give you glory, to give you honor, and to give you praise. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Thank you, Pastor. Samuel, come on up. Please stand in, join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of 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, Samuel, for coming. And Pastor Dansby, you're welcome to leave if you like or stay for the rest of the meeting. Your choice. Item one is the consent agenda. Mr. Christopher, if you come forward and read the consent agenda for what I have now is 5C, 7A, and 11A on consent. Okay. Thank you, sir. Good evening, Mayor and Council members. These are the items on the consent agenda. All items listed with an asterisk will be considered as a group by the City Council. And will be enacted with one motion. There will be no separate discussion unless the council member or citizen request, in which event the item will be removed from the consent agenda and considered as a separate item. Item two, approval of minutes of previous meetings is written. Item 3A, acting on a liquor license application for Casa de Mambo, 1130 West Grove Avenue. Item 3B, acting on liquor license application for Grab and Go, 757 South Country Club Drive. Item 3C, Act on Electoral License Application for Target, 1517 South Signal Butte Road. Item 3D, Acting Liquor License Application for Zaytona, 3515 South Ellsworth Road. Item 3E, Act on Liquor License Application for Circle K, 10,744 East Elliott Road. Item 4A, approving three-year term contract with two-year renewal options for Ford and Nissan OEM Auto and Light Duty Truck Parts for the Fleet Services Department. Item 4B, approving three-year term contract with two-year renewal options for vehicle detection systems for intelligent transportation systems for the transportation department. Item 4C, approving one year use of a cooperative term contract with three one-year renewal options for the purchase of epoxy coding services for the Transportation Department. Item 4D, approving five-year term contract for powdered activated carbon for the water resources department. Item 4E, approving 52-month use of cooperative term contract for the purchase of Apple Computer Products for the Department of Innovation and Technology. Item 4F, approving one-year term contract with four-year renewal options for fertilizer and related commodities for the parks recreation and community facilities and the facilities management departments. Item 4G, approving use of a cooperative contract for the purchase of E1 cycle and apparatuses for the Mesa Fire and Medical Department. These purchases are funded by 2022 and 2024 public safety bonds. Item 4H, approving three-year term contract with two-year renewal options for structure extrication personal protective equipment for the Mesa Fire Medical Department. Item 4I, approving three-year term contract with two-year renewal options for fingerprinting services for various city departments, and is requested by the human resources and Mesa Police Departments.

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