OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Surprise City Council Meeting - October 8, 2025

City Council — Wednesday, October 8, 2025
BodySurprise, Arizona
SessionCity Council
DateWednesday, October 8, 2025
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 1:28:34

Transcript — Verbatim
1:54

All right, good evening, everyone.

1:55

I'd like to welcome you to the Surprise City Council meeting on Tuesday, October 7th, 2025.

2:00

Madam Clerk, please conduct the roll call.

2:03

Prayer first.

2:04

You want to do invocation first?

2:06

Or we please conduct the roll.

2:09

Okay.

2:10

Mayor Sarder.

2:11

Present.

2:12

I mayor Hastings.

2:13

Here.

2:14

Councilmember Haney.

2:15

Here.

2:16

Councilmember Greenberg.

2:17

Here.

2:17

Councilmember Duffy.

2:19

Here.

2:19

Council Member Milton.

2:20

Present.

2:20

Councilmember Jed.

2:22

Here.

2:22

Thank you, Mayor.

2:23

We have quorum.

2:24

All right.

2:24

Thank you.

2:25

Uh Mr.

2:26

Wagman, if you could please invocation tonight.

2:34

Father, we come to you tonight.

2:36

In the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior.

2:40

We thank you for the blessings that you have allowed us to enjoy.

2:45

Thank you.

2:46

For you are good and faithful, holy, and we give you praise.

2:58

Given us all that you have have we have enjoyed.

3:04

We praise you, Father.

3:06

That all that we have that we've ultimately are dependent upon you.

3:12

You have blessed us, our city, our community, and our lives abundantly, for which we are so thankful.

3:21

And now we invite you, your holy spirit into this meeting.

3:50

Would you all please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance?

4:05

For which it stands.

4:07

Undergone with liberty and justice for all.

4:21

Shelby.

4:22

Did you want to introduce the uh pledge presenters, please?

4:30

Good evening, Mayor and Council.

4:32

I'd like to introduce our members of our storm swim team that were leading the pledge with you tonight.

4:38

Um, I will call up um Seth to say a few words.

4:50

My name is Sethman Polycarpo, and I'm a dedicated swimmer for the Surprise Storm Swim team.

4:55

Uh for over the past two years, this program has done more than just teach me how to swim fast faster.

5:01

It has also been truly life-changing foundation for me as both an athlete and a person.

5:07

When I first joined Storm, it was in a rough place.

5:10

I remember practices in the past summer where only three or four of us would show up each day.

5:15

It felt like our team was fading away, just individuals showing up.

5:21

Uh just individuals showing up.

5:26

Um each day.

5:29

It felt like our team was um, however, thanks to the commitment to our new pool and renowned renewed energy of our new coach, we've experienced an incredible turnaround.

5:38

Now, when we show up, the vast majority of our swimmers are there, energized and ready to go.

5:43

We hold team meetings to discuss our culture, goals, and how to improve both individually and collectively.

5:50

Thank you to the city council for your support in building the Oasis Swim Center.

5:54

We now have a state-of-the-art facility to train and grow our team.

5:58

Since the summer and the addition of several new coaches, our team has grown exponentially in morals, numbers, and speed.

6:08

This past summer, we have had this past summer, we had only one swimmer compete above the state level, three swimmers at senior state, and three at age group state.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Public Safety██████████████14%
Transportation Safety██████████████14%
Water And Wastewater Management████████████12%
Community Engagement██████████10%
Procedural█████████9%
Zoning Regulations████████8%
Economic Development████████8%
Education Safety███████7%
Youth Programs██████6%
Summary of Proceedings

Surprise City Council Meeting - October 8, 2025

The Surprise City Council met on Tuesday, October 7, 2025 (noted in the transcript as October 7; the provided date is October 8, 2025) to discuss routine business, a zoning text amendment, a resolution opposing the BNSF Logistics Park Phoenix project, and neighborhood grant funding. The meeting included public comments, testimony from both opponents and a BNSF representative, and unanimous council votes on all agenda items.

Consent Calendar

  • The council unanimously approved the consent agenda consisting of 19 items.

Proclamations & Recognitions

  • Mayor Sarder proclaimed October 2025 as Domestic Violence Awareness Month, with representatives from Hope Women's Center speaking.
  • The Surprise Youth Council provided updates: Maisie Donick (Paradise Honors junior) reported on street cleanups and fall events; Phoebe Gardner (Shadow Ridge sophomore) discussed outreach committee plans including expanded street cleanups and holiday card making.
  • The council approved a new Series 12 liquor license for Chef Peters Bistro at Sun Village (unanimous vote).

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Opposition to BNSF project (12 speakers): Jeffrey August (Whitman resident, Keep Us Rural president) cited pollution, water concerns (1 million gallons per day), noise, and disruption to the horse community. Dave Weber, a Whitman resident, opposed the project. Another resident (name not given) highlighted two serious accidents at 163rd Avenue and Highway 60 in the past 24 hours, infrastructure strain, and water supply issues. Lisa Everett reported gathering nearly 4,000 signatures against the project. Bud Metter (Sun City West) raised health, safety, and environmental concerns. Timothy Lesota (on behalf of Kirby Anderson) commended the council and reiterated lack of collaboration from BNSF. Kyle Cooper (BNSF representative) expressed surprise at the resolution, noting BNSF's ongoing collaboration with the city and the project's economic benefits: a $3.2 billion investment, over $4 billion in labor income, and $258 million annually in state and local taxes. He also stated BNSF has received over 10,000 letters of support.
  • Call to the public: Alex (resident) thanked staff for a tour of the water reclamation facility and criticized school funding bonds and overrides. Patric (resident) requested a refund for groundwater recharge fees paid to El Mirage but credited to Surprise, and made disparaging remarks about teachers' workload.

Discussion Items

  • Zoning Text Amendment – Home Occupations (Ordinance 2025-16): Staff presented amendments to update the municipal code, clarifying permitted and prohibited uses (e.g., photo studios not permitted; personal services prohibited due to potential expansion). The Planning & Zoning Commission recommended approval on September 18, 2025. Councilman Greenberg asked about photo studios; staff responded that the goal is to preserve residential character. No public comments. The council unanimously approved.
  • Resolution 2025-98 – Opposition to BNSF3 Zoning Request: Staff (Janine Yarukovich, Economic Development) outlined the city's concerns: lack of specific job data (tens of thousands of jobs but unclear types), regional impacts on water (BNSF acquired type 2 water rights equivalent to over 500 million gallons per year without replenishment), transportation (Grand Avenue already congested), public safety, and quality of life. The council expressed frustration with BNSF's lack of communication over four years. Councilman Judd detailed the water issue: BNSF's agricultural water rights allow groundwater mining without replenishment, contradicting the city's policy of 1:1 replenishment. Councilman Haney emphasized responsible growth and the need for BNSF to address concerns. The resolution reserves the right to reassess. The council voted unanimously to approve the resolution.
  • Neighborhood Grant Program: Staff (Seth) presented recommendations from the subcommittee (Councilmemers Judd, Haney, Duffy): $5,000 to Homestead at Marley Park for community events, $5,000 to Royal Ranch HOA for a holiday event (total $10,000 funded from $25,000 in requests). Heritage at Surprise was not funded but staff will work on an alternative project. The council unanimously approved.

Key Outcomes

  • Unanimously approved consent agenda (19 items).
  • Unanimously approved liquor license for Chef Peters Bistro.
  • Unanimously approved Zoning Text Amendment (Ordinance 2025-16) for home occupations.
  • Unanimously approved Resolution 2025-98 opposing BNSF's zoning request in unincorporated Maricopa County, with the council reserving the right to revisit if BNSF addresses concerns.
  • Unanimously approved neighborhood grant funding of $10,000 to two community groups.
  • Council directed staff to continue working with BNSF on potential solutions and with Heritage at Surprise on an alternative project.

Meeting Transcript

All right, good evening, everyone. I'd like to welcome you to the Surprise City Council meeting on Tuesday, October 7th, 2025. Madam Clerk, please conduct the roll call. Prayer first. You want to do invocation first? Or we please conduct the roll. Okay. Mayor Sarder. Present. I mayor Hastings. Here. Councilmember Haney. Here. Councilmember Greenberg. Here. Councilmember Duffy. Here. Council Member Milton. Present. Councilmember Jed. Here. Thank you, Mayor. We have quorum. All right. Thank you. Uh Mr. Wagman, if you could please invocation tonight. Father, we come to you tonight. In the name of Jesus Christ, our Savior. We thank you for the blessings that you have allowed us to enjoy. Thank you. For you are good and faithful, holy, and we give you praise. Given us all that you have have we have enjoyed. We praise you, Father. That all that we have that we've ultimately are dependent upon you. You have blessed us, our city, our community, and our lives abundantly, for which we are so thankful. And now we invite you, your holy spirit into this meeting. Would you all please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance? For which it stands. Undergone with liberty and justice for all. Shelby. Did you want to introduce the uh pledge presenters, please? Good evening, Mayor and Council. I'd like to introduce our members of our storm swim team that were leading the pledge with you tonight. Um, I will call up um Seth to say a few words. My name is Sethman Polycarpo, and I'm a dedicated swimmer for the Surprise Storm Swim team. Uh for over the past two years, this program has done more than just teach me how to swim fast faster. It has also been truly life-changing foundation for me as both an athlete and a person. When I first joined Storm, it was in a rough place. I remember practices in the past summer where only three or four of us would show up each day.

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