Queen Creek Town Council Regular Session – November 19, 2025

The Queen Creek Town Council held a regular session on November 19, 2025, at 6:30 PM in Community Chambers, 20727 E Civic Parkway. The meeting was called to order, roll call established a quorum (all five members present), and the Pledge of Allegiance was recited. An invocation was given by Rock Point Church. The council received committee reports from the Transportation Advisory Committee (November 13), Parks and Recreation Advisory Committee (November 18), and Mayor's Teen Advisory Committee (November 18). The meeting included consent items, public hearings, a discussion item on telecommunications, and final action on three water-related resolutions.

Consent Calendar

• Approved the November 5, 2025 Regular Session minutes.
• Approved reappointment of Jennifer Robinson to the Local Public Safety Personnel Retirement Board – Police (term commencing November 19, 2025).
• Approved a Permanent Extension of Premises/Patio Permit Liquor Application for Queen Creek Olive Mill.
• Approved expenditures over $75,000: Stanley Consultants Inc. for Hawes Road Improvement design ($187,352) and Vertech for well equipment/SCADA (additional $500,000, total $1,250,000).
• Approved a Professional Services Contract with Sisu Global for engineering consulting (not to exceed $500,000).
• Approved Ordinance 879-25 for the San Tan Blvd and Ellsworth Annexation (approx. 5 acres).
• Item G (Ocotillo and Hawes Annexation, 0.14 acres) was continued to the December 17, 2025 council meeting.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Mark Linder (39413 N Taylor St, Santan Valley) spoke against the proposed annexation of two Pinal County parcels (SEC Ocotillo & Meridian Roads). He stated that the properties are bound by CC&Rs restricting use to residential only and that the community has repeatedly rejected commercial encroachment. He expressed opposition to any rezoning that would allow commercial development, noting past attempts to change CC&Rs failed with less than 20% support. His comments were entered into the record for the public hearing on the annexation.

Public Hearing Consent Agenda

• Ordinance 878-25 (Zoning Text Amendment to Design Standards for buffering adjacent to utility facilities) was approved with a single motion and vote (5-0) after a public hearing with no additional comments.
• Public hearing for Case P25-0138 (SEC Ocotillo & Meridian Annexation, ~6.9 acres) was opened; Mark Linder's comment was the only public input. The hearing was then closed, and the item was approved as part of the consent agenda.

Public Hearings

• Item 9A (Ocotillo & Hawes funeral home rezone, site plan, and conditional use permit) was continued to the December 17, 2025 council meeting by unanimous vote.
• Item 9B (San Tan Blvd & Ellsworth Rezone and Site Plan): Principal Planner Sarah Clark presented the proposal to rezone 4.2 acres from R1-43 to C-1 with a PAD overlay for a medical/general office development (four buildings, 30,644 sq ft). The site includes 30-ft and 40-ft landscape buffers, a 6-ft solid wall, reduced lighting (2700 Kelvin, 50% reduction after 10 PM), and architecture with rural agrarian elements. A neighborhood meeting in March 2025 drew one supportive resident. The applicant, Sean Lake, spoke in favor. A public hearing was opened and closed with no further comments. The council unanimously approved the rezone and site plan (5-0). Councilmember Brown praised the buffering, access, and aesthetics.

Discussion Items

• Telecommunications Update: Senior Management Analyst Ryan McDonald presented an overview of investments over the past year. Key points included:
  • Three new macro towers agreed upon (two on town-owned property at Mansoe Carter Park and behind Fire Station #2, one on private property off Aquateo Road).
  • Small cell deployments: Crown Castle (23 nodes, 8 under construction, expected live January–February 2026) and Cox Communications (21 nodes near town center, expected live early 2027). Crown Castle installed 40.5 miles of fiber using Rapid Connect 2.0 nano-trenching.
  • Fiber agreements: Google Fiber has built 24 segments reaching nearly 10,000 homes, with planned full build-out by end of 2026. Other agreements (Giga Power, Novos, Orbital Communications) have not yet deployed; the town has a two-year termination window.
  • Conduit occupancy agreements allow in-kind leasing of town-owned conduit, expediting deployments and minimizing construction impacts.
  • Average permit review time for small cell sites was five days; expedited processing is in place.
  • Future goals: Oversee macro tower construction, finalize a text amendment for entitlement processing, ensure small cell go-live, execute drive tests, and continue working with Google Fiber.
  • Councilmember Brown noted the public safety importance of increased wireless capacity (911 access). Councilmember Padilla mentioned that private property owners can host cell towers and be compensated. The council thanked staff for the update.

Final Action Items – Water Resources

• The council heard a joint presentation from Town Manager Bruce Gardner, Utilities Director Mark (last name not given), and Finance Director Scott McCarty on securing a 100-year water supply. Key details:
  • The town has ample groundwater but faces rising replenishment costs from the Central Arizona Groundwater Replenishment District (CAGRD), fees currently $900–$1,000 per acre-foot and rising to $1,100+.
  • The town has saved customers approximately $58 million over seven years through mitigation efforts.
  • The town authorized the purchase of 5,000 acre-feet/year from the Harquahala Valley earlier in 2025; the second phase will acquire an additional 1.2 million acre-feet over 100 years (12,000 acre-feet/year) at a purchase price of $244.4 million (reduced from original by ~$8 million).
  • This purchase will reduce groundwater reliance to under 10% (6%) and move the town toward becoming a designated water provider with self-sufficiency.
  • Financing: Certificates of Participation (COPs) not to exceed $250 million (40-year term, interest-only first 7 years) and a loan from the Water Infrastructure Finance Authority (WIFA) of Arizona (expected ~$52 million at ~4% interest over 30 years).
  • Resolution No. 1650 directs staff to evaluate and develop a new Water Resource Fee to repay past, current, and future water acquisitions. The fee will apply to all accounts, with a 50% credit for combined water/wastewater accounts. The fee is not being created tonight; staff will return in fall 2026 for implementation, with an effective date of January 1, 2027, coinciding with exit from CAGRD.
  • Councilmember Brown praised the staff's expertise and the legacy decision. Vice Mayor and others expressed confidence in the plan.

Key Outcomes

• Consent Agenda (items 7A–7G): Approved 5-0.
• Public Hearing Consent Agenda (items 8A and 8B): Approved 5-0.
• Item 9A (funeral home rezone): Continued to December 17, 2025 by unanimous vote.
• Item 9B (San Tan & Ellsworth rezone/site plan): Approved 5-0.
• Resolution No. 1649-25 (COPs up to $250 million for water acquisition): Approved 5-0.
• Resolution No. 1653-25 (WIFA loan application): Approved 5-0.
• Resolution No. 1650-25 (direction to evaluate and develop a Water Resource Fee): Approved 5-0.
• The meeting then recessed to complete executive session business before final adjournment.