OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Mesa City Council Meeting September 2, 2026: Consent Agenda Approved, Public Comment Heard

City Council — Wednesday, September 2, 2026
BodyMesa, Arizona
SessionCity Council
DateWednesday, September 2, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 18:22

Transcript — Verbatim
0:04

There we go.

0:05

Looks like there's been some changes up here in the technology.

0:08

I noticed a new button.

0:10

Welcome to the Mesa City Council meeting for August 31st, 2026.

0:14

I am Vice Mayor Scott Summers.

0:16

Mayor Freeman is out of town as in his end is excused, although he is here in spirit.

0:23

Councilmember Duff is also absent and excused.

0:26

Councilmember Adams and Councilmember Goforth are both participating by Zoom.

0:32

I see them online.

0:33

Councilmember Adams, can you hear us?

0:36

I hear you loud and clear.

0:38

Thank you.

0:38

Excellent.

0:39

That makes a quorum and Councilmember Goforth.

0:43

Yes, I can hear you.

0:44

Thanks.

0:44

Okay.

0:44

And I have them on screen.

0:46

If we have any issues, I'll let you know.

0:48

But we do have a quorum for the meeting.

0:50

Uh we'll begin by an indication by Reverend Brian Crane at Eternal Life Lutheran Church, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance by Scout from Troop 3054, Kayla Ramirez.

1:06

Would you please stand for the invitation?

1:12

Let us pray.

1:15

Oh merciful Father in heaven, who holds in your hand all the might of man, and who has ordained the powers that be for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of them that do well, and of whom is all rule and authority in the kingdoms of the world.

1:30

We ask you to graciously regard your servants who lead us here in Mesa, especially our mayor, vice mayor, and council members, as well as all the leaders of our state and nation.

1:43

May all that receive the sword as your ministers bear it according to your commandment.

1:48

Enlighten and defend them by your name, O God.

1:52

Grant them wisdom and understanding that under their peaceable governance, your people may be gardened and directed in righteousness, quietness, and unity.

2:02

Protect and prolong their lives, O God of our salvation, that we with them may show forth the praise of your name.

2:10

Through Jesus Christ, your son, our Lord.

2:13

Amen.

2:16

Caleb.

2:20

Please.

2:22

Please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance.

2:27

I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America.

2:35

One nation.

2:37

Indivisible with liberty and justice for all.

2:42

Nicely done.

2:46

Reverend Kayla, thank you so much.

2:49

We don't have any awards or announcements today, so before I move on to the consent agenda, Ms.

2:55

Mosley, I see three speakers.

2:59

Right?

2:59

We only had three filed today.

3:00

Correct.

3:01

And I wrote the third name.

3:03

It's so it's Gillian Ryan, Mary Maybino, and Jerica Trimble.

3:08

Okay.

3:09

So that'll be the uh order we'll bring you up.

3:12

At the end.

3:15

With uh Mr.

3:16

Christopher, the consent agenda.

3:25

Good evening, Vice Mayor and Councilmembers.

3:27

These are the items on the consent agenda.

3:28

All items listed with an asterisk will be considered as a group by the city council.

3:32

And will be enacted with one motion.

3:34

There'll 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.

3:42

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

3:44

Item 3A, Acting on Liquor License Application for its wings, 6837 East Main Street.

3:50

Item 3B, acting on liquor license application for original cuisine, 1853 West Broadway Road.

3:56

Item 3C, Acting Liquor License Application for Sol Jet Station, 1976 West Southern Avenue.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Engagement███████████████████████████████████████39%
Procedural█████████████████████████████29%
Liquor Licensing███████████11%
Water And Wastewater Management███████████11%
Technology and Innovation██████████10%
Summary of Proceedings

Mesa City Council Meeting – September 2, 2026

Vice Mayor Scott Summers presided over the Mesa City Council meeting on September 2, 2026, with a metadata start time of 17:35:01 UTC. Mayor Freeman and Councilmember Duff were absent and excused; Councilmembers Adams and Goforth participated by Zoom, and a quorum was confirmed. The meeting opened with an invocation by Reverend Brian Crane of Eternal Life Lutheran Church and the Pledge of Allegiance led by Scout Kayla Ramirez of Troop 3054. All substantive agenda items were handled under the consent calendar, followed by three public comments and adjournment. Note: The raw transcript dates this meeting as August 31, 2026, while the supplied meeting metadata gives September 2, 2026.

Consent Calendar

  • The City Council approved the consent agenda unanimously in one motion, with no items removed or discussed separately. The agenda included:
    • Approval of minutes of previous meetings.
    • Liquor license applications (Items 3A–3K) for It's Wings, Original Cuisine, Sol Jet Station, Sam's One Stop Shop, Sprouts (two locations), Cagawa Guys, Longbow Golf Club (Items 3G and 3H), Oregonos, Fumau Reese, and another Sprouts location.
    • Contract approvals (Items 4A–4F), including the Elliott Road Corridor design-build improvements from the Eastern Mary Copa Floodway to Ellsworth Road (funded by local street sales tax, mostly reimbursed by a federal grant), preconstruction and construction manager-at-risk contracts for the Eastmark and Red Mountain Aquatic Complexes (funded by the 2024 Parks and Culture General Obligation Bond), and contracts for windscreens and protective netting, helicopter pilot training services for the Police Department, and vehicle washing services.
    • A resolution setting October 26, 2026, as the date for the public hearing on continuation of the Mesa Town Center Improvement District No. 228.
    • Introductions of ordinances for annexation cases 25-684 (approximately 5.2 acres near Williamsfield Road and State Route 24), 25-893 (approximately 196.3 acres near Ellsworth Road and Williamsfield Road), 25-725 (approximately 0.38 acres of county right-of-way along Signal Butte Road), and zoning case 25-891 (approximately 196.3 acres for the Legacy Park mixed-use community).
    • An ordinance amending Mesa City Code sections 10-4-2 and 10-4-3 to establish a continuous 45 mph speed limit on Ellsworth Road from the north city limits to the south city limits.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Gillian Ryan raised concerns about city priorities, including luxury hotel development and data centers during drought conditions, saying she wants water and wants her children to be able to live in Mesa. She also opposed the city's 287G agreement with ICE, said it is optional and that Mesa is the only municipality with it, and criticized public comment procedures as unfair. She asked that four opponents of the agreement be allowed to speak at a future council meeting and called for better candidates in 2028, naming Councilmember Rich Adams and Dorian Taylor.
  • Mary Mabino, a District 5 resident, said she opposes a drag queen Christmas show booked at the Mesa Arts Center, calling it inappropriate for a taxpayer-funded facility and incompatible with Mesa's community standards. She asked the council to revisit the 2021 non-discrimination ordinance and thanked Mayor Freeman for being one of the no votes on that ordinance.
  • Jerica Trimble, a Mesa resident since 1998, expressed concern about Flock surveillance cameras, saying other Arizona cities have canceled their contracts and citing reports of officer misuse, misread license plates, and dangerous traffic stops. She asked the council to end Mesa's contract, conduct a full audit and investigation, and pass an ordinance banning such cameras.

Key Outcomes

  • The consent agenda was approved unanimously by the councilmembers present, with Mayor Freeman and Councilmember Duff absent and excused.
  • No action was taken on the public comments; under state law, the council generally cannot respond to items that are not on the agenda.
  • The meeting adjourned by a motion attributed to Councilmember Heredia, seconded by Councilmember Taylor.

Meeting Transcript

There we go. Looks like there's been some changes up here in the technology. I noticed a new button. Welcome to the Mesa City Council meeting for August 31st, 2026. I am Vice Mayor Scott Summers. Mayor Freeman is out of town as in his end is excused, although he is here in spirit. Councilmember Duff is also absent and excused. Councilmember Adams and Councilmember Goforth are both participating by Zoom. I see them online. Councilmember Adams, can you hear us? I hear you loud and clear. Thank you. Excellent. That makes a quorum and Councilmember Goforth. Yes, I can hear you. Thanks. Okay. And I have them on screen. If we have any issues, I'll let you know. But we do have a quorum for the meeting. Uh we'll begin by an indication by Reverend Brian Crane at Eternal Life Lutheran Church, followed by the Pledge of Allegiance by Scout from Troop 3054, Kayla Ramirez. Would you please stand for the invitation? Let us pray. Oh merciful Father in heaven, who holds in your hand all the might of man, and who has ordained the powers that be for the punishment of evildoers and for the praise of them that do well, and of whom is all rule and authority in the kingdoms of the world. We ask you to graciously regard your servants who lead us here in Mesa, especially our mayor, vice mayor, and council members, as well as all the leaders of our state and nation. May all that receive the sword as your ministers bear it according to your commandment. Enlighten and defend them by your name, O God. Grant them wisdom and understanding that under their peaceable governance, your people may be gardened and directed in righteousness, quietness, and unity. Protect and prolong their lives, O God of our salvation, that we with them may show forth the praise of your name. Through Jesus Christ, your son, our Lord. Amen. Caleb. Please. Please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. I pledge allegiance to the flag of the United States of America. One nation. Indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Nicely done. Reverend Kayla, thank you so much. We don't have any awards or announcements today, so before I move on to the consent agenda, Ms. Mosley, I see three speakers. Right? We only had three filed today. Correct. And I wrote the third name. It's so it's Gillian Ryan, Mary Maybino, and Jerica Trimble. Okay. So that'll be the uh order we'll bring you up. At the end. With uh Mr.

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