Mesa City Council Meeting - October 27, 2026

This summary is based on the raw transcript; no agenda or minutes were available. Councilmember Adams participated by Zoom. The meeting opened with an invocation, the Pledge of Allegiance, and a Red Ribbon Week proclamation, then proceeded through the consent agenda, two pulled items, a public hearing on the Mesa Town Center Improvement District, and citizen comments before adjourning.

Opening, Proclamation, and Ceremonial Items

• Pastor Tony Frazy of Gateway Bible Church gave the invocation.
• The Pledge of Allegiance was led by East Valley Young Marines Private Vincent Andruzi and Private Gabriella Andruzi.
• The Mayor proclaimed Red Ribbon Week in Mesa, recognizing the East Valley Young Marines for drug-prevention efforts and community service. Antoinette, a parent of two Young Marines, thanked the Mayor and Council for the recognition.

Consent Calendar

• Mr. Christopher read the consent agenda. No items were initially pulled; Councilmember Taylor later asked to pull Items 7A and 7B for discussion.
• The consent agenda included approval of prior meeting minutes; a liquor license for Andy’s Downtown Garage; a Glock handgun contract for the Police Department; pool treatment chemicals; seven automated side-loading refuse trucks; LED traffic-control modules and sensors; storm drain pump maintenance; fire extrication equipment; wastewater inspection and electric infrastructure design services; intergovernmental agreements for Proposition 202 funds, Arterial Life Cycle Program reimbursement, and waste-collection mutual aid; a development agreement with MGC Pure Chemicals America; a retail development tax incentive notice for the Craftsman project; introduction of zoning case 25-895; and an ordinance authorizing the City Attorney to purchase insurance coverages.
• Item 5D was removed from the agenda. The remaining consent items were approved unanimously by one motion.

Discussion Items

• Items 7A and 7B — Historic preservation text amendments: Councilmember Taylor pulled the items to confirm they would not slow or block the Buckhorn Baths redevelopment. She noted community excitement for the project, said the existing museum building has been inspected and is not architecturally sound, and wanted demolition and rebuilding in the Pueblo Revival style to remain possible. Staff responded that Buckhorn Baths is on the National Register of Historic Places, which does not restrict development; a local landmark designation would add protection. The text amendments are intended to consolidate and streamline the process and would not prevent Buckhorn Baths from moving forward through a certificate of appropriateness. The Mayor clarified that the item was an introduction with intent to adopt on November 2. Councilmember Taylor then moved to approve Items 7A and 7B; the motion passed unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

For citizen comments, the Council allowed three speakers for three minutes each; because the topics were not on the agenda, state law generally prevented the Council from responding.

• Jacob Given: A Mesa native, former Falcon Field flight-school employee, and private pilot. He said he had supported the proposed airport landing fees when small private pilots were exempt from the first five or ten landings, but a new letter removed those exemptions. He asked the Council to consider alternatives used elsewhere, including a $2 per flight-hour tax on flight schools that raises $7.8 million per year for Deer Valley and has been in place for 16 years. He also asked whether sales taxes spent at the airport are allocated back to the airport and noted the airport’s economic value — about $811 million annually and 1,200 jobs. He agreed the airport should be self-sustaining but urged the Council to restore exemptions for small private pilots and to consider other revenue sources.
• Jason Smith: A father of a child on the autism spectrum and an advocate for people with disabilities. He praised the city’s adaptive recreation programs and its community engagement course, but said Mesa lacks a dedicated disability advisory board or committee. He recommended creating a disability advisory committee made up of individuals with disabilities, parents, caregivers, advocates, and community stakeholders to advise on parks, playgrounds, transportation, public facilities, city services, employment, and emergency preparedness. He described it as a partnership rather than another layer of bureaucracy.
• State Senator Lauren Kuby: She was recognized as the third speaker, but no substantive public comment from her appears in the transcript. The Mayor then moved the meeting toward adjournment.

Key Outcomes

• The consent agenda, minus pulled Items 7A and 7B and removed Item 5D, was approved unanimously.
• Items 7A and 7B, the historic preservation text amendments, were approved unanimously.
• The Council held a public hearing on the continuation of the Mesa Town Center Improvement District; no one requested to speak. A motion to approve Item 9B, continuing the district for an additional five years, passed unanimously.
• The meeting adjourned by unanimous vote. The Mayor reminded everyone to vote.