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OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD

Record of Proceedings

Queen Creek Town Council Regular Session – March 18, 2026

Town Council & Commissions — Wednesday, March 18, 2026

BodyQueen Creek, Arizona

SessionTown Council & Commissions

DateWednesday, March 18, 2026

StatusFILED

Video Record

0:00 / 29:12

Transcript — VerbatimClick a timed line to jump · ⧉ to share it

2:10

This meeting is now called to order.

2:12

Maria, would you please call roll?

2:14

Councilmember Brown.

2:15

Hi, I'm here.

2:17

Mayor Wheatley.

2:18

Here.

2:19

President.

2:20

Councilmember.

2:21

Here.

2:22

Councilmember Oliphant?

2:23

Here.

2:24

Councilmember Benning.

2:25

Ah.

2:26

Councilmember Martinow, I'm here.

2:27

We do have a full quorum here.

2:29

Thank you.

2:30

Your town council provides opportunity for the public to speak during tonight's meeting.

2:35

Please fill out a request to speak card located near the entrance of the community chambers and return this card to the box, and it will be provided to the town clerk.

2:43

During the corresponding agenda item, you will be called to the podium and are limited to three minutes, only one comment, either in person or via email per person per agenda item will be allowed.

2:55

Please ensure that topics are within the town's purview.

2:58

The town council is very appreciative of the honor to serve and appreciate the engagement and feedback from the public.

5:00

At the same time, we ask you to save us in our national life from all partisan bickering, racial division, violent and insightful speech, the hatred of those who differ from us, illegal detentions, and everything that stands opposed to truth, liberty, and justice, and threatens to diminish or destroy our way of life and democracy.

5:18

Strengthen our efforts, oh God, to blot out ignorance and prejudice, poverty and crime, so that one day all the peoples of this world may be united in one fellowship of love and service.

5:32

And now may the blessing of God Almighty rest upon us and upon all our work done in his name.

5:38

May He give us light to guide us, courage to support us, and love to unite us both now and evermore.

5:47

Amen.

5:48

Amen.

5:50

Thank you, Chaplain Stoll.

5:51

We appreciate that.

5:52

Always good to see you.

5:55

We have one ceremonial item this evening.

5:58

It's a presentation and recognition of the Queen Creek 4-H Club.

6:02

It's kind of fun looking out.

6:04

It's almost like it's groundhog day, but for St.

6:07

Patrick's Day, because there's so much green in the audience.

6:10

But it's great to have everyone here this evening.

6:12

We appreciate you joining us.

6:14

The Queen Creek 4-H is a youth program where students grow self-confidence and make new friends while learning about specific project areas and good citizenship.

6:25

In the invitation of Councilmember Brown, we have several uh Queen Creek 4-H students and their family in the audience tonight.

6:32

They are joined by their livestock partner, Kate Lane, who helped coordinate their participation.

6:37

So I would like to welcome Gillian Owens, the Queen Creek 4-H youth President of the Year to provide us with an update from their club.

6:45

Thank you for being here this evening, Gillian.

6:52

Thank you.

6:54

Good evening.

6:56

Good evening, Mayor Wheatley, Vice Mayor McClare, and Council members.

7:01

Thank you for having us.

7:03

My name is Joanne Owens.

7:04

I'm the president of Queen Creek 4-H stock club.

7:08

It is in my sincere pleasure to share with you the joy and value that raising and showing stock animals brings to this community.

7:17

Our club includes youth ages eight to eighteen.

7:21

It represents both small and large stock exhibitors.

7:25

We raise and show animals ranging from cave to cattle and everything in between.

7:32

The town of Queen Creek is known for its agricultural roots and Western heritage.

7:39

We are so excited to continue to be part of that tradition.

7:44

Through the stewardship of raising animals and serving this beautiful town, our youth are developing skills that they will need in order to thrive in life.

7:55

Outreach programs allow us to educate and advocate to the public in a powerful professional way while building communication skills.

8:05

Stock keeping and breeding teaches us about the power of work ethic while experiencing the challenges, costs, and rewards of production agriculture.

8:16

Showing and competing keeps us resilient through growing knowledge and developing skills.

8:22

We truly believe that 4-H members are the leaders of tomorrow, and we would like to extend an invitation to the upcoming Maricopa County Fair.

8:32

Our youth will be showing small stock and breeding animals April 3rd through 5th.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting

Procedural█████████████████████████████████████████████48%

Youth Programs███████████████████20%

Agriculture█████████10%

Human Trafficking Awareness████████8%

Historic Preservation███████7%

Mental Health Awareness███████7%

Summary of Proceedings

Queen Creek Town Council Regular Session – March 18, 2026

The Queen Creek Town Council held its regular session on March 18, 2026, at 6:30 PM in the Community Chambers at 20727 E Civic Parkway. The council took unanimous actions on the consent agenda, a council liaison appointment, and a public hearing consent item. The meeting lasted just shy of 30 minutes.

Ceremonial Matters

Chaplain Philip Stowell of Queen Creek Fire & Medical delivered the invocation.
The council recognized the Queen Creek 4-H Club. The club president, introduced as Gillian Owens but self-identifying as Joanne Owens, described the club’s youth ages 8 to 18, its livestock and agricultural education work, and outreach programs. She invited the council and community to the Maricopa County Fair, with small stock and breeding animals shown April 3–5 and large stock and dairy breeding animals shown April 10–12.

Committee Reports

Councilmembers had no comments on the listed committee reports.

Public Comments & Testimony

A resident of 2626 South Hawes Road, who said she has lived in the unincorporated portion of Queen Creek for 42 years, expressed concern about upcoming PMZ (planning/zoning) matters related to livestock and building uses. She said Queen Creek historically has been a horse and farming community, and she worried that interpretations from newer residents could negatively affect Rancho Hardinas and other unincorporated areas. She asked the council to listen to those residents and consider grandfathered rights. Mayor Wheatley directed staff to provide her with packet information and the meeting date of March 25.
Holly Martinez, founder and CEO of Voices for the RARE, used text-to-speech because she is medically nonverbal. She said there has been an alarming rise in missing teenagers in Queen Creek and Santan Valley since January 1, and that disabled and foster youth have no local emergency shelter beds. She described this as a structural failure and a resource desert that could lead to human trafficking. She proposed a “bridge to care” pilot model repurposing underutilized infrastructure into medically accessible housing, aligned with HUD policy and Section 5004 compliance. She offered Pacific ADA Center training and requested a formal briefing.

Consent Calendar

Councilmember Benning removed item C for separate discussion. A motion to approve the remaining consent agenda passed unanimously. Approved items included:
- March 4, 2026 Regular Session minutes.
- L.N. Curtis personal protective, respirator, and hazmat equipment and supplies: additional spending authority of $115,000, for a new total of $585,500.
- Fire apparatus repair and maintenance services: additional spending authority of $105,000, for a new total of $605,000.
- Compunet conference room hardware: additional spending authority of $70,000, for a new total of $230,000.
- Motorola portable and mobile radios: additional spending authority of $250,000, for a new total of $2,159,865.
- Dibble & Associates Amendment 01 to Project Order 01 for Sierra Vista Water Transmission: additional spending authority of $64,350, for a new total of $540,383.
- Valley Rain landscape services for the Crismon Road roundabout: $95,000.

Discussion Items

Item C: Consideration of appointing Vice Mayor Bryan McClure as the Council Liaison to For Our Town for the remainder of CY 2026. Councilmember Padilla questioned whether an official appointment was necessary and suggested it might reduce broad council participation. Mayor Wheatley and Councilmember Brown explained the liaison serves as the council’s seat on the organization’s planning committee or board and does not preclude other members from attending or participating. Vice Mayor McClure said he was supportive and encouraged continued participation. The motion to approve item 8C passed unanimously.

Public Hearing Consent Agenda

The council opened a public hearing on a new Series 10 Beer and Wine Store liquor license application submitted by Maria Danielle Burgess for Circle K Store #9230 at 21880 S Meridian Road. There were no public comments, the hearing was closed, and the motion to approve the public hearing consent agenda passed unanimously.

Key Outcomes

The consent agenda was approved unanimously with item C removed.
Vice Mayor Bryan McClure was approved as Council Liaison to For Our Town for the remainder of CY 2026.
The Circle K liquor license application was approved unanimously.
The meeting adjourned after fewer than 30 minutes.

Meeting Transcript

This meeting is now called to order. Maria, would you please call roll? Councilmember Brown. Hi, I'm here. Mayor Wheatley. Here. President. Councilmember. Here. Councilmember Oliphant? Here. Councilmember Benning. Ah. Councilmember Martinow, I'm here. We do have a full quorum here. Thank you. Your town council provides opportunity for the public to speak during tonight's meeting. Please fill out a request to speak card located near the entrance of the community chambers and return this card to the box, and it will be provided to the town clerk. During the corresponding agenda item, you will be called to the podium and are limited to three minutes, only one comment, either in person or via email per person per agenda item will be allowed. Please ensure that topics are within the town's purview. The town council is very appreciative of the honor to serve and appreciate the engagement and feedback from the public. At the same time, we ask you to save us in our national life from all partisan bickering, racial division, violent and insightful speech, the hatred of those who differ from us, illegal detentions, and everything that stands opposed to truth, liberty, and justice, and threatens to diminish or destroy our way of life and democracy. Strengthen our efforts, oh God, to blot out ignorance and prejudice, poverty and crime, so that one day all the peoples of this world may be united in one fellowship of love and service. And now may the blessing of God Almighty rest upon us and upon all our work done in his name. May He give us light to guide us, courage to support us, and love to unite us both now and evermore. Amen. Amen. Thank you, Chaplain Stoll. We appreciate that. Always good to see you. We have one ceremonial item this evening. It's a presentation and recognition of the Queen Creek 4-H Club. It's kind of fun looking out. It's almost like it's groundhog day, but for St. Patrick's Day, because there's so much green in the audience. But it's great to have everyone here this evening. We appreciate you joining us. The Queen Creek 4-H is a youth program where students grow self-confidence and make new friends while learning about specific project areas and good citizenship. In the invitation of Councilmember Brown, we have several uh Queen Creek 4-H students and their family in the audience tonight. They are joined by their livestock partner, Kate Lane, who helped coordinate their participation. So I would like to welcome Gillian Owens, the Queen Creek 4-H youth President of the Year to provide us with an update from their club. Thank you for being here this evening, Gillian. Thank you. Good evening. Good evening, Mayor Wheatley, Vice Mayor McClare, and Council members. Thank you for having us. My name is Joanne Owens. I'm the president of Queen Creek 4-H stock club. It is in my sincere pleasure to share with you the joy and value that raising and showing stock animals brings to this community. Our club includes youth ages eight to eighteen.

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