OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

Surprise City Council Meeting - January 7, 2026

City Council — Wednesday, January 7, 2026
BodySurprise, Arizona
SessionCity Council
DateWednesday, January 7, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 58:39

Transcript — Verbatim
2:11

All right, good evening, everyone.

2:13

I'd like to call the city council meeting January sixth, twenty twenty-six to order.

2:17

Tonight we'll be led by Ray Grimm for the invitation.

2:24

Heavenly Father, we praise you, we thank you, Father God, that we get to live in a great city of surprise, Arizona, Father God, and I pray as two thousand twenty-six kicks off that you give our mayor and council wisdom to lead our city for this year, Father God, give them the guidance they need to make wise decisions for our city.

2:44

We pray for our police officers that are on the streets, God, that you'll protect them and give them wisdom when they have to make split second decisions, Father God, and for our firefighters as well.

2:54

In Jesus' name, amen.

2:57

Thanks, Ray, for uh coming in.

2:59

This is the second year in a row.

3:01

It's been the first meeting, and I appreciate you doing that.

3:03

That means a lot.

3:17

Councilmember Jed.

3:18

Here.

3:18

Thank you, Mayor.

3:20

All right, thank you.

3:20

So tonight we have a Boy Scout troop or Pac 400 to help lease in the pledge.

3:25

Boys, if you don't mind.

3:53

Yeah, good kid.

4:06

Are we gonna take a picture with the with the pack?

4:17

Okay.

5:00

I'm always so hesitant with this microphone.

5:01

I broke it one time.

5:06

Good night.

5:12

Okay.

5:12

We'll move on to the next phase.

5:14

So one of the things is mayor that I like to do, we had community acknowledgements in our agenda, but I think for me it's about community champions and bringing in people that really represent the city.

5:28

And so tonight we have the Shadow Ridge, uh Thespian True, but I don't want to get that wrong.

5:33

Uh come in.

5:34

And so if you guys want to come up here while I'm while I'm talking, but they won an award, it's an overall superior rating from the Arizona Thespian organization.

5:43

And so a lot of times, yeah.

5:53

Good job.

5:59

Good job.

6:03

So a lot of times when you know we bring community champions up here, it's been sports teams that have won a state championship and those types of things.

6:10

But I think it's important to recognize all community champions.

6:13

So when I heard about your award and how significant it was for you know your for theater, it was just it was an incredible thing.

6:21

So I want to come up here and personally thank you.

6:23

You know, thank you for representing the city.

6:25

Thanks for doing a great job.

6:26

It's your play was what the diary of amp rank.

6:29

And the next step is did you already perform at the Arizona State Thespian Conference?

6:34

Not yet.

6:35

When is that?

6:36

The 19th.

6:37

The 19th.

6:37

So the 19th, they'll be performing at the Arizona Thespian State Conference in front of over 3,000 students and and parents and everybody else.

6:46

So congratulations.

6:53

Did Janae, did you want to say anything about the significance of the award?

6:56

I don't think I did it justice.

6:58

I don't want to put you on the spot either, but okay.

7:01

Or Gemma.

7:02

Yeah, I'll let Jimmy.

7:02

Yeah, Gemma, go ahead.

7:03

It's your it's your truth.

7:04

That's a great one.

7:06

Okay.

7:06

Um, so the students have been working on this production since September, and we performed this for our school and our community in November.

7:15

Um in November, we were able to get adjudicated by our state board of our thespian organization.

7:21

Um that judging consists of two judges coming to two of our three productions, and they score us on multiple um uh different things.

7:33

Um so like acting, their characterization, their believability, um, especially because we were performing such a historical piece.

7:41

Are the kids giving justice to those historical figures that we know?

7:46

Um on the technical side, um, the safety of the production, lighting, uh sound, um are the costumes period accurate, all those things come combined, and um we're lucky enough that they loved her production so much that they scored us an overall superior and um picked us as one of the two plays in the state to perform.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Zoning Regulations█████████████████████████25%
Procedural████████████████████20%
Community Engagement█████████9%
Parks and Recreation█████████9%
Public Safety███████7%
Affordable Housing██████6%
Youth Programs█████5%
Transportation Safety█████5%
Economic Development█████5%
Summary of Proceedings

Surprise City Council Meeting - January 7, 2026

The first city council meeting of 2026 began with an invocation by Ray Grimm and the Pledge of Allegiance led by Boy Scout Pack 400. The council recognized community champions, received reports from the city manager, youth council, and clerk, and unanimously approved commission appointments, a downzone rezone, and an annexation resolution.

Consent Calendar

  • The consent agenda, consisting of three routine items, was approved unanimously.

Public Comments & Testimony

  • Alex Christ (Waddell and 175th area) spoke in support of the city's tourism efforts, highlighting the upcoming Big 12 baseball tournament and its economic and national exposure benefits. He thanked the council and staff.
  • Lisa Everett thanked the council for its resolution against BNSF and urged the council to closely monitor BNSF's cooperation with El Mirage and other entities, based on her research that BNSF is often uncooperative.

Discussion Items

  • Community Champions: The Shadow Ridge High School Thespian Troupe was recognized for receiving an overall superior rating from the Arizona Thespian organization. The students will perform their play, "The Diary of Anne Frank," at the Arizona State Thespian Conference on January 19, 2026, before over 3,000 attendees.
  • City Manager Report: Cox Communications donated $25,000 to fund a technology cart at the city's new multi-generational community resource center. The donation aims to bridge the digital divide for adults and youth.
  • Youth Council Report: Desmond Robert (Willow Canyon High School) and Jackson Freeman (Canyon Ridge School) reported on recent events, including street cleanups, Nerf Battle, Operation Santa Claus, and Cookies & Crafts with Santa. Upcoming plans include the National League of Cities conference in Washington, D.C., a media retreat, and SYC recruiting.
  • Clerk's Report: The city clerk's office launched a new self-service passport photo booth, making Surprise the first jurisdiction in Arizona to offer on-site passport photos.
  • Appointments: The council unanimously approved Madeline Vowling to the Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission (term expiring June 30, 2029) and Connie Loveland to the Board of Trustees (term expiring June 30, 2029). Loveland was sworn in by the clerk.
  • Rezone (Item 6): A public hearing was held for a rezone from residential high density (RH-15, equivalent to R3) to residential medium density (R2) with a PUD overlay for the 14.88-acre Mandu Ranch/Sierra Sol Ranch project, located at the southeast corner of 147th Avenue and Beardsley Canal. The applicant, Andrew Yancey of Oakwood Homes, proposed a downzone from 115 multifamily units to approximately 92 single-family detached homes. Key features include a public road connecting to existing development, four amenities exceeding the code requirement, and private drives with garages facing inward. Planning and zoning commission recommended approval. Council discussed traffic distribution (60% west via Happy Valley Road, 40% east via Midmick Way and Happy Valley), garbage pickup logistics, and the benefit of reducing density. The ordinance 2026-01 was approved unanimously, subject to stipulations A through C (including inadvertently omitted stipulation C regarding buy-in fees).
  • Annexation (Item 7): The council approved Resolution 2026-02, expressing intent to annex two parcels totaling 5.57 acres for the Vistas Montanas project, located south of the CAP Canal along Dixoleta Drive and 79th Avenue. The vote was unanimous.
  • Council Reports: Council members provided updates on upcoming community meetings (Haney: Jan. 14, 6 p.m. on parks and rec master plan; Duffy: Jan. 10, 9 a.m. at Rescue Oasis pool; Judd: Jan. 14, 6 p.m. at Tap House; Vice Mayor Hastings: Jan. 14, 6 p.m. town hall at public safety auditorium). Councilman Greenberg noted the council's stability after a year of turnover. Vice Mayor Hastings announced his term as vice mayor will conclude at the next meeting, and he reflected on his journey from city lifeguard to vice mayor.

Key Outcomes

  • The council approved the downzone rezone for Mandu Ranch/Sierra Sol Ranch (Ordinance 2026-01), enabling construction of 92 single-family homes.
  • The council authorized the annexation process for Vistas Montanas (Resolution 2026-02).
  • Two commission appointments were confirmed: Madeline Vowling (Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission) and Connie Loveland (Board of Trustees).
  • The council received donations, reports, and public comments; no further action was taken.
  • The meeting adjourned after council reports.

Meeting Transcript

All right, good evening, everyone. I'd like to call the city council meeting January sixth, twenty twenty-six to order. Tonight we'll be led by Ray Grimm for the invitation. Heavenly Father, we praise you, we thank you, Father God, that we get to live in a great city of surprise, Arizona, Father God, and I pray as two thousand twenty-six kicks off that you give our mayor and council wisdom to lead our city for this year, Father God, give them the guidance they need to make wise decisions for our city. We pray for our police officers that are on the streets, God, that you'll protect them and give them wisdom when they have to make split second decisions, Father God, and for our firefighters as well. In Jesus' name, amen. Thanks, Ray, for uh coming in. This is the second year in a row. It's been the first meeting, and I appreciate you doing that. That means a lot. Councilmember Jed. Here. Thank you, Mayor. All right, thank you. So tonight we have a Boy Scout troop or Pac 400 to help lease in the pledge. Boys, if you don't mind. Yeah, good kid. Are we gonna take a picture with the with the pack? Okay. I'm always so hesitant with this microphone. I broke it one time. Good night. Okay. We'll move on to the next phase. So one of the things is mayor that I like to do, we had community acknowledgements in our agenda, but I think for me it's about community champions and bringing in people that really represent the city. And so tonight we have the Shadow Ridge, uh Thespian True, but I don't want to get that wrong. Uh come in. And so if you guys want to come up here while I'm while I'm talking, but they won an award, it's an overall superior rating from the Arizona Thespian organization. And so a lot of times, yeah. Good job. Good job. So a lot of times when you know we bring community champions up here, it's been sports teams that have won a state championship and those types of things. But I think it's important to recognize all community champions. So when I heard about your award and how significant it was for you know your for theater, it was just it was an incredible thing. So I want to come up here and personally thank you. You know, thank you for representing the city. Thanks for doing a great job. It's your play was what the diary of amp rank. And the next step is did you already perform at the Arizona State Thespian Conference? Not yet. When is that? The 19th. The 19th. So the 19th, they'll be performing at the Arizona Thespian State Conference in front of over 3,000 students and and parents and everybody else. So congratulations. Did Janae, did you want to say anything about the significance of the award? I don't think I did it justice. I don't want to put you on the spot either, but okay. Or Gemma. Yeah, I'll let Jimmy.

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