Queen Creek Town Council Regular Meeting – August 5, 2026
Queen Creek Town Council Regular Meeting – August 5, 2026
The Queen Creek Town Council held a regular meeting on August 5, 2026, at 6:30 p.m. in the Community Chambers. The meeting included ceremonial recognition of The Shooting Range, committee reports, approval of consent items, and two discussion items: an update on motorized device regulations and the Transportation Safety Action Plan. The council voted unanimously on all action items except where noted.
Consent Calendar
- Approved unanimously (5-0) the consent agenda less items G and H. Item G (Transportation Mutual Aid IGA) was removed for further regional evaluation. Item H (Resolution No. 1678-26 declaring Primary Election results) was removed for separate discussion and later approved unanimously (5-0).
- Approved the public hearing consent agenda (Series 12 Restaurant Liquor License for Snooze) unanimously.
Public Comments & Testimony
- No in-person public comments were made. Two email comments were received and entered into the record.
Discussion Items
- Update on Recent Regulatory Changes Regarding Motorized Devices: Chief Randy Bryce presented data showing a 94% increase in nuisance complaints and safety issues in early 2025-2026, leading to targeted code updates. After enactment, calls decreased 80% at Mansell Carter Park, 78% at Desert Mountain Park, and 34% townwide. The chief noted this was the most effective legislative action in his 34-year career. The department continues education (mandatory classes for impounded devices) and enforcement.
- Transportation Safety Action Plan Update: Deputy Public Works Director Julian DeSang presented crash data from 2021-2025: 25 fatal crashes (avg. 5/year), 123 serious injury crashes. Key trends: speed a factor in 1/3 of crashes, drivers 25 or younger involved in over half of crashes, and a rise in bicycle crashes linked to e-bike use. A safety summit identified eight priority strategies. The plan is due by the end of 2026. Council discussed the need for data-driven approaches and noted the low fatality rate relative to traffic volume (150,000-200,000 unique vehicles/day).
Key Outcomes
- Consent agenda approved (5-0) with items G and H removed. Item H later approved (5-0).
- Public hearing consent agenda approved (5-0).
- No formal action on discussion items; council received updates and provided feedback.
Meeting Transcript
This meeting is now called to order. Maria, would you please call roll? Councilmember Benning. I'm here. Vice Mayor McClure. Here. Councilmember Brown. Here. Councilmember Martinow? Here. Mayor Wheatley. I'm here. Councilmember Oliphant. Councilmember Panilla. Mayor, we do have a quorum. Excellent. Thank you so much. Your town council provides the 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. It will be provided to our town clerk. During the corresponding agenda item. Thank you for this town council. Thank you for the city. For those who are yet to be born, who are still in the womb. For those who have lived many years here and are with you. God, we thank you for this great city and this great country for this season where we just had re-elections. We thank you that we can continue with great leaders. Please bless them like you did, Joseph in Egypt. Please bless them like you did Esther. That all people who have eyes on this city would see that we have good leaders because you've given them to us. Amen. Thank you, Cliff. All right. We will move on to our ceremonial items. And tonight we have one ceremonial item, which is a recognition of the shooting range. The Queen Creek Police Department would like to formally recognize the shooting range for its exceptional support since QCPD's launch in 2022. For close to four and a half years, the shooting range has generously provided officers a local facility for firearms training and qualifications, offering unlimited access and accommodating the department's training needs, even during regular business hours. Their partnership played a critical role in helping QCPD maintain training readiness while the department worked towards establishing its own range. I would like to welcome Queen Creek Police Department Chief Randy Bryce, and he will provide some remarks this evening. Thank you, Chief. Mayor Council, thank you for the opportunity to speak to this just for a moment. I I just wanted to take the time to really point out this is what community is all about. It's the collaboration, it's the partnership, it's the care and the outward uh care for other people. Just uh as you mentioned very well, is that they really went out of their way to uh give us space, time uh to help support the community because really what it came to the end, it wasn't just supporting us, it was supporting the entire community for the mission that we have. And as you know, this was building a police department is is uh no joke. It was very difficult. There was lots of uh logistics and difficulties that we had throughout the pandemic and supply chain issues, but uh they really came through for us. Uh great leadership over there, very kind people, and again, just a great partner to the town and the residents here uh by helping us. So we have a small presentation if uh if the folks will come forward, and then I have some staff also that would like to come up and if we could maybe take a uh picture with you.
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