All right, good evening, everyone.

I'd like to call this regular council meeting Tuesday, March 3rd to order.

Tonight we have Brittany McGuire who's gonna lead us in the invocation.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Dear Heavenly Caller, Lord, I just thank you for the time that everybody spent this evening to come to pray over our city.

Lord, I just pray for all of the people that are over every district, all the leaders, the mayor, the vice mayor, Lord.

I just pray that they all use wise judgment and discernment this evening, and that Lord, everybody that came here to speak can be heard, and that they all use patience and understanding and kindness as they continue to raise their concerns that um are affecting our city.

Lord, I pray for everybody in this room that there's a hedge of protection over all of us, that we can all leave peaceful tonight with resolution.

In Jesus' name I pray, amen.

Thank you for that.

Madam Clerk, please call the roll.

Mayor Sarder.

Present.

Thanks, Mayor Greenberg.

Here.

Councilman Haney.

Here.

Councilman Duffy.

Here.

Councilman Melton.

Present.

Councilman Hastings?

Here.

Councilman Jed.

Here.

Thank you, Mayor.

We have quorum.

Thank you.

So tonight we have four of our youth council members that are gonna lead us in the Pledge of Allegiance.

And it looks like the same that we're at the uh teen summit as well.

So it's exciting.

So go ahead.

If you'd like to join me in the Pledge of Allegiance.

They'll have to come back for the next meeting.

So just wanted to put that out there.

So if you haven't signed up and you want to, the forums are in the back, you can give them to the clerk.

Mrs.

Davis, do you have a city manager report?

Yes, thank you, Mayor Council members.

One item tonight we have Shelby to introduce our youth council.

Evening, Mayor and Council.

I'd like to introduce the two youth council members up on the dais with you tonight.

First up is Miss Peyton Anthony.

Peyton is a senior at Highland Prep.

Good morning, Mayor and Council, and happy Purum to anyone who celebrates it.

Um I'm pleased to report that the teen summit was a success and all participants were able to gain some valuable insight.

Emphasizing that the actions we take when no one's looking are the most important.

And to live your life unapologetically, you and maybe you can have a positive influence on those around you.

Following a networking icebreaker, attendees participated in two informative sessions, how to make a presentation that stakes and personal growth.

Everyone left with new knowledge and enjoyed a meal from Chick-fil-A.

Thanks to our advisor, Shelby Thenwick, who leadership was instrumental to the event's success.

Special thanks to Mayor and Councilman Haney for their attendance and for sharing their experience to inspire the youth of surprise.

That is all, and thank you for this opportunity and your continued support.

And to everyone here who is upholding the Constitution today.

Thank you.

Thank you, Peyton.

Next up, we have for the first time Connor.

Connor is a sophomore at Valley Vista.

Good evening, Mayor and Council.

My name is Connor Wilson, and this is my second year on the Surprise Youth Council.

And here you're Mike on.

Good evening, Mayor and Council.

My name is Connor Wilson, and this is my second year on the Surprise Youth Council and my first time on the dais.

This year I have had the opportunity to join the events committee, where our goal in the events committee is to plan different unique events for the people of the city to participate in and enjoy doing with their friends or their families.

The youth council members will be participating in multiple upcoming events, such as the Little Olympian Games, which will be happening on March 7th from 7 a.m.

to 1 a.m.

The extravaganza event, which will be on April 3rd.

And the cookies and grafts with Miss Bunny on March 28th.

In the meantime, we while we are preparing for these upcoming events.

I, along with the events committee, have been planning our own event, which is occurring on March 21st.

It is called Memories with Mom, and it will be hosted at the Surprise Regional Library from 11 a.m.

to 1 p.m.

It will have many different fun activities that kids and their parents like can do together, along with other fun games and even food and drinks.

Additionally, the outreach committee will be hosting a street cleanup this Sunday as part of our efforts to give back and keep our community beautiful.

We are looking forward to doing all of these events in the upcoming two months.

I thank you, Mayor and Council, for listening and for the opportunity to speak this evening.

Thank you, Connor, and thank you, Mayor and Council.

Okay, thank you.

There are seven items on the consent agenda.

Would any council member like to pull one for clarification?

Hearing no questions, I will entertain a motion.

Second.

It's been moved and seconded.

Please cast your vote.

Thank you.

Please read item eight.

Item eight, consideration and action pertaining to the rezone of approximately 264.9 gross acres from Mesquite Mountain Ranch, PAD to residential low density, R1, residential medium density, R2, and open space conservation OS1.

The proposed rezone is located south of Deer Valley Road between 223rd Avenue and 231st Avenue.

Ordinance 202606.

Good evening, Mr.

Wessel.

How are you?

Doing good.

Thank you.

Uh, Mayor Council.

Uh, the item before you is a rezone entitled Besquete Mountain Ranch 5, case FS24-0765.

Uh so this project is generally located south of Deer Valley Road between 223rd Avenue and 231st Avenue.

And it compasses approximately 264.9 gross acres.

The subject site is currently zoned Mesquite Mountain Ranch uh Planned Area Development or PAD.

Uh currently there is rural residential zoning uh adjacent to portions of the site on the north, east, and south and west, as well as low density residential um zoning uh adjacent to portions of the site on the north and south.

A pocket of community commercial C2 on the north, and lastly uh PAD zoning for Surprise Foothills uh to the west and the remainder portion of the mesquite mound ranch PAD to the south.

So this project proposes uh rezoning the subject property to residential low density R1, residential medium density R2, and open space conservation OS 1.

Through the uh past couple of years, the Mesquite Mountain Ranch PAD has evolved and been updated.

Uh the slide depicts the originally approved PAD, which um primarily comprised of low and medium density residential.

In 2020, a rezone was approved, which pulled the southern uh single-family residential portion from the PAD and into a separate PUD or planned unit development.

Then in 2024, a rezone was approved, which pulled the northwest portion of the PAD into the adjacent surprise foothills PAD and rezoned a portion of the medium density residential to commercial.

Uh this is where we uh the PAD currently sits today.

The applicant is now proposing uh the following land use plan, which primarily contains uh residential medium density zoning on parcels two and four, as well as a main open space conservation corridor through parcel three, and lastly, some residential low density on parcel one, which directly abuts the uh resident uh rural residential overlay and provides a density transition between the overlay and the residential medium density.

The City Surprise General Plan 2040 designates almost the entirety of the site within the neighborhood character area, uh, with a portion designated as open space uh character area, which follows the alignment of the five West Wash, which crosses this property.

This site is located within the proximity of the Luke Air Force Base Auxiliary One Airfield, uh, meaning that it is subject to the Luke uh Air Force Base Density Concept or GDC, which permits a maximum of six dwelling units to the acre for this property.

Uh the table in the bottom right corner of the slide shows the breakdown of the gross area, the maximum density allowed under the GDC and gives you a quick calculation for the maximum number of units that would be allowed uh per the GDC, which is uh 1,589.

Uh please note that this calculation is based off of gross acreage of the site and does not take into account any right-of-way dedication, open space requirements um and the physical constraints of the site.

So the next two the next two slides are included as reference um, but showed the development standards for the R1 zoning district and the R2 zoning district as outlined in the land development ordinance.

Uh the applicant is not requesting any sort of deviation from these standards.

An open space plan was provided with this rezone and shows a variety of paths, including a regional path within the five West Wash, um, and both regional and community paths within the project boundaries.

The future development um will be required to adhere to the amenity requirements of the planning and engineering design standards, um, which indicate the type of amenities and the minimum number of amenities that would be required for this project.

This slide shows the regional transportation network within the area.

Uh the future alignment of 227th Avenue uh will bisect the property, and the site is bordered by uh both Deer Valley uh road alignment to the north and 231st Avenue and alignment to the west.

The associated development agreement for Mesquite Mountain Ranch 5, which was approved by council on February 17th, outlines the roadway infrastructure that would be required to be installed by the developer.

Uh one thing to note is that the approved development agreement does stipulate that the uh Deer Valley uh road alignment be shifted south further onto the Mesquite Mountain Ranch uh PAD, not only to provide a greater buffer for the rural residential overlay, but also to ensure the properties to the north maintain access and stay within conformance uh with the LDO.

An outreach meeting was held on October 16th, 2024 at Willow Canyon High School with five attendees.

Uh questions and concerns pertaining to the development and traffic of Deer Valley Road, access to the site, water density, and timing of the development were all raised at this meeting.

Uh the planning and zoning commission recommended approval uh to city council subject to stipulations A through D.

Um, I would like to note that the stipulation D uh, which caps the this rezone at 975 units was added by the planning and zoning commission during the February 5th meeting.

That concludes my presentation.

I'm available for questions.

The applicant Jeff Blightley is also here and would like to address the council as well.

Thank you.

Thank you.

This item is open to the public.

I'll public hearing.

Open this agenda to the public.

Do we get any requests to speak?

I do mayor have one.

Um Mr.

Richard Stutzman.

I hope I said that right.

Stutzman.

Yes, please, sir.

And once you get to the front, I think it would state your name and crossroads for the record.

Hi there, it's Richard Stutzman 219th and Pinnacle Peak.

Uh I've been to several of these meetings that they've had, and one of the greatest uh issues is traffic.

And one of the greatest uh issues is traffic.

You're throwing in a ton of homes, and there's no roadways to go in.

Uh I'm I'm originally from Iowa.

And any time a community uh of developer wanted to come in and build, uh, they had to have all the infrastructure in before a house went in.

And that isn't the way it's doing here.

You're the constant building up 163rd Avenue in Grand.

That's a that's a nightmare.

And the five, six lights that you've got up there, that's creating this horrible outcome.

You cannot uh keep adding homes uh with one roadway.

And just building to the first biggest road isn't isn't gonna do it.

You've got to develop, you've got to have more infrastructure.

We just went through where they um, I think we've had four deaths right now on the Sun Valley Parkway.

Sun Valley Parkway was closed down for uh most of a day, where you either had to travel over to I-10 uh to come into town, or you had to take the back uh mule trail.

Um, and you're the it's never addressed that any of this is gonna be taking uh solving any problems.

Festival is the only thing that's west of us, and traffic is horrible now without all this extra.

Uh and they keep talking about water, water is an issue, but yet now all of a sudden we can build all these homes and we've got all this extra water.

Uh where is it coming from?

Anything else?

Yes.

I'm on a roll here.

Um the young lady that prayed, we need to get her back up here.

Oh my gosh, she was wonderful.

Um one other thing about the building.

Um, when I 219 flooded, the only way to get across 219 to get to the Sun Valley Parkway from our place is you gotta have a big truck to be able to get through.

And one of the one of the proposed builders said, well, it's climate control, or it's um climate change.

Thank you.

No, what has happened is you've built roads out west of us, you've built up higher, and water's gonna flow to the lowest point.

And now you've created greater water problems.

And I know you're gonna build four billion homes out there, and you're gonna put a uh, I don't know, maybe you're gonna put a bridge across 219.

When we came out here 25 years ago, one of the council women, I believe it was Diane.

She came out and you know, kind of laid it out what you guys were wanting to do.

This was 25 years ago.

None of the mark is been hit.

Thank you, sir.

Go sit down.

Well, you had three minutes, but I I appreciate your input.

All right.

Thank you.

Madam No, no additional speakers.

No additional speakers.

I'll close this agenda item to the public.

Did the uh applicant want to say a few words?

Sure.

Thank you, Mayor.

Uh Jeff Belithi, 7014 Street.

Uh, first off, I just want to point out the property uh that we're talking about currently has zoning on the property.

Um it was zoned back in about 0607.

It's the Mesquite Mountain Ranch PAD, and it's gone through a number of PAD iterations.

So one of the things we're doing tonight is um is uh kind of cleaning it up and bringing it more up to code with current zoning.

Um this council a couple years ago approved rezoning a portion of it earlier, the fifth 55 acres that was owned by a different consortium.

This has always been a unique project, it's got a lot of different property owners within it.

And so the property owner of that 55 acres rezoned the property to R2.

And so you had this remnant left over piece that we that didn't really fit the PAD, and so we went back to the city, and that's why we're here tonight.

So the intensity of the zoning that we're asking for is basically the same as it is right now.

It's got medium density in it, it's got single family residential in it.

Um we're proposing single family residential throughout the project.

Um, one of the good things about this project to address the the speakers' issues is that if it were to develop under the existing zoning, which it could do, it would go out there and it literally could probably start developing today based upon the road that was put in by the Mesquite Mountain Ranch one.

This council at the last hearing approved the development agreement, and the staff, because we're going through a rezoning process, had the opportunity now to put on more obligations on this project with regard to infrastructure.

And so, in addition to the 227th room that have been put in by the first phase of Mesquite Mountain Ranch, this project will now be adding additional travel lanes to that, going down to 227th, as well as building the entire section of 227th through the project.

And all that has to happen before homes go in.

In addition, they'll be building the Deer Valley Road all the way over to 219th.

And under its current alignment, Deer Valley Road would be this project were to move forward under the existing zoning.

It would give up the 55 feet or 60, 7.5 feet that the city be requesting, and it would build its south half in that particular location.

We worked with the city.

We shifted it 100 feet down onto our project.

That way we could elite we could alleviate not having to encroach on the on the property owners to the north.

And we'll be building the south half through that.

And then from the edge of our property over to 219th, we'll be building another road that'll provide now additional access.

So when 219th does flood out, people have another access point to get to 227th, which will have culverts and bridges and won't be impacted by flooding situations.

In addition to that, we are participating with the city in the water campus.

The city has a water campus currently at Surprise Foothills.

As I mentioned previously, this project has zoning already, so it was covered by the city's assured water supply.

They will be annexing into that agreement and participating significantly in the contributions of about $10,000 per home just for water infrastructure.

And that's in addition to the water resource fee and the sewer fee.

So all of that will be going in place.

With the zoning that you're looking at tonight versus the zoning that's in place right now.

This zoning is now putting in place the actual open space corridor over the wash quarter that doesn't exist today.

While it's in the general plan, the current zoning doesn't have open space designated as that.

So there's nothing that would have prevent them from encroaching or engineering it.

Now certainly it carries water and there's things they have to do from an engineering standpoint.

But with this rezon, you'll be preserving that as open space.

Additionally, because there was a concern with the number of units, and I know when Tanner got up, he talked about the GDC would allow like 15 or 1600 units.

We're not going anywhere near that.

And so the PNZ commission put in place, would you not exceed 975?

And we said, sure, that's fine, because we're not going to exceed 975 units.

So again, it's hard to compare what the current zoning allows versus the what we're proposing because the current zoning doesn't have a cap on it.

It's got some land use tables and it's got some conceptual land plans, but there's nothing that capped the unit count.

With this new zoning, you will have a capped unit count at 975 for the project.

So we think there's a lot of good things that are happening with this project.

We think that when the council approved the development agreement last week, that was a good thing.

And we think this would be a much better project if it develops under the existing zoning that we're proposing.

I mean under the proposed zoning rather than the existing zoning that they're today.

Happy to answer any questions you might have.

Okay.

Thank you.

Councilman Melton.

Thank you, Mayor.

Can you can you so show me walk me through the Deer Valley alignment as it currently exists today?

If Deer Valley.

I don't know how to use the his power point.

But if he just backs it up a little bit.

Okay.

So if you look, you can see the transportation plan here that's on the screen.

Okay.

And uh Deer Valley Road now goes along the north.

I don't know if I can point with this.

You can you can see the project.

Go Deer Valley Road runs along that's the kind of the section line.

So what'll happen is through our project, it's going to shift further down.

I got that.

Okay.

Where does it terminate though?

East and west.

The current Deer Valley Road?

Yeah.

There's not much of the road out there today.

Uh it comes in from 219th.

There's a semblance of a chipseal type road that goes over from 219th to probably the edge of where those rural homes are, but there's not much of a road at all out there.

I see.

What does that mean?

What is it look with?

What does that mean?

Not a road.

Well, I think I think there was a point of like a chip seal type road that's deteriorated over time.

Okay, understood.

And the city put in many years ago, the city went actually put some strip payment on 219th because that wasn't much of a road either, but they did that a number of years ago.

But I don't think they did much improvements to Deer Valley.

So you're pulling Deer Valley all the way to 219th.

We're pulling it south.

We're gonna build it all the way to 219th.

What does that mean?

Is it two lanes, four lanes?

So we'll do what we'll do is we'll build our entire half street adjacent to the property.

So from 227th to the edge of our property, we'll be a full half street, and then from the edge of our property over to 219th, we'll be two travel lanes, one in each direction until you get to 219th.

And that's our secondary access.

Our primary access for this project and almost all the traffic is going to go up and down 227th.

I say because that's a direct route, right to Sun Valley Parkway.

And what the and the in addition, as I mentioned, if you look at this map, when when the earlier phase of mesquite came in, they purchased state land property, they put in two travel lanes and a center turn lane.

We're adding another lane to that, so you've got two travel lanes in both directions now, all the way up to our our southern edge, and then through our property, you'll have a full, you know, minor arterial or major arterial.

I can't remember which one it is.

Just so I understand Deer Valley east of 29th is nothing.

Doesn't exist in the last year.

Doesn't exist.

No, that's that we have another project over there, Desert Trails that you approved a couple years ago.

They're working on that as well.

Copy that.

And then bringing it all the way.

They they've recently acquired the land from state land to take it all the way over to 183rd.

So you would have that continuous access point all the way over to Grand.

So just so I understand you said two lanes, so two lanes east, two lanes west.

One lane each, and our we'll be building one lane in each direction from the edge of our property to 219th.

We'll be building the south half of major arterial along our property, which will provide one travel lane in both directions and a center turn lane.

And then as it gets to the other projects on our north side, then there'll be a building the north half of that road.

I don't know.

Thank you.

Councilman Hastings.

Thank you, Mayor.

So Lloyd.

I mean, or Jeff.

So I mean, so Arizona's it's more of I guess an FY, something I've learned about since I've been on council, but you know, Arizona is a private property rights state.

So Lloyd, could you could you take a second and just kind of explain like what the council has control over what we don't mayor, council, councilman Hastings?

The what's in front of you tonight is just the zoning.

So you have full discretion over zoning.

Everything after this is all administrative and by city code and standards.

Got it.

So essentially, the one thing the council controls.

Thanks, Lloyd.

Might might call on you again.

I'm not sure.

We'll see where we go.

Um, if you own property, you can build on it.

The one area that council has control on is the zoning of it.

Um, and now there's no zone.

People ask why can't you zone something for you know in and out or you know, for a bowl?

It's it's it's residential, commercial, industrial, right?

So under the current zoning, you could build without council approval how many units under the grad Luke, but under the loop graduated concept, you could you could develop 1500 lots.

Yeah, so I thought I think it was I saw the number was like 1589.

So you could build up to hypothetically, not saying you guys are planning on so you could build 1600 units, which I'm guessing is right of the current zoning because of the lot sizes that we're required to do, we couldn't get that close, but we could certainly build but there's no there's no real cap besides that.

I mean, obviously there's there's other things other people will mention.

So I like that you know this has a cap.

Um, you know, 975 is is is still a lot.

Um I do like that you're working with staff and taking the time to go through the development agreement process.

I know that not many cities um require that.

Um, and also I like the fact that it's you know low and medium density.

Um because when I first got on council, it was a lot of rezones to high density, and then we started seeing you know some some more middle stuff.

So we um approved the development agreement.

I also like that this project.

Um you talked about water infrastructure.

Could you touch on that again?

Did you say it was it was wells that were going in?

Yeah, well, we've been working with the city for a number of years on the the water campus.

So if you look at this map, you can see I'll point to it right about in this, and there's a water campus right there where I'm pointing on the map.

Oh, yeah.

Okay, and that was put in by the surprise foothills folks.

And so we've spent the last number of years working with the water department as to what we want to how we want to make this water campus look as it grows out.

And so I think they've come to the conclusion through the agreements that the council's approved is that that one water campus is gonna serve pretty much all of SPA three.

So the infrastructure is okay.

So it's and so we'll have to uh extend water distribution lines to the property, but the uh the the campus itself will be able to use that existing infrastructure and then pay tantamount to an impact fee through the through the annexation and into this agreement, a fee per unit that we'll pay at final plat that will then the city will use to augment the the water campus as needed.

Absolutely, and I I do like so you mentioned the open space corridor as well.

Obviously, you know, adding homes to any place that's full desert roll is gonna change that way of life.

But I do like can you touch on the you go back to the open space corridor, you know, talking about preserving the rural character, because that wasn't that's not there currently, right?

And there's a there's a wash corridor there now, Councilman.

Okay.

So that it's we're gonna have to preserve something, but uh my point was that the existing zoning doesn't preserve it in any kind of hard zoning.

Got it.

So it just okay.

Our new zoning does that.

It actually gets a quarter that's open space that would say no no development whatsoever within the green corridor.

Okay.

Well, I appreciate that.

Appreciate that.

Thanks for coming forward.

I and I have to give a shout out to my colleague, Councilman Haney.

I know the first two years I was on council um before he got here.

Um, we had a lot of you know, rezones, and it was it was high density, high density, high density.

And thanks to Councilman Haney's efforts, I know we've he's been an advocate for this area, and let us know kind of some of the the traffic concerns that are going on.

So I'm I'm curious to hear the rest of my colleagues' thoughts on this.

So thank you.

Councilman Judd.

Thank you, Mayor.

Thank you, Jeff.

Um tell me about the open space plans.

If you if you go back on this presentation that you have here, I think between slide, it looks like between slides six and seven, you show some changes.

Well, this slide.

This map.

So this slide compared to the the new slide.

Yeah.

So talk to me about the open space on that, what we're doing.

And I'm and I'm really concerned.

I mean, this is an important wash here.

This wash, if you follow it up, goes up to the CAP, and the CAP's put a wildlife crossing over the C over the CAP.

So wildlife are expected to be able to use this.

So we want to make sure that we've got not just open space, but adequate open space.

So from that from that lens, tell me about the open space.

Yeah, this map was never that's not an adopted land use plan.

It was it was done when the 55 acres was removed, and it just kind of put uses on a map, but they're not the actual map.

So this is your sales pitch.

No, I'm just saying that the the previous map shows the actual land use.

So the corridor that you're concerned about is what we're gonna preserve.

That'll be a very wide corridor.

Uh how wide is it, Mark?

I don't know what's up in my head, but it goes to the edge beyond the edge of the banks of the wash.

It doesn't look like it on the if you flip forward, it doesn't look like it on a satellite.

I mean, you can see the wash is clearly wider than where it gets there, unless we're just talking about the sand in the middle.

Well, you're talking about the floodplain part.

There's no I'm talking about that whole corridor.

Right.

It's not, it's not, we're not preserving everything.

And so you're not preserving.

Well, you engineer the channel down.

You you save the floodplain.

There's some, then there's flood way on the side of the floodplain.

So we aren't, it's not we're not preserving everything that's green out there today.

So why engineer the channel down?

Why not leave why not leave more open natural space?

Well, it will be it'll be left in natural open space at the bottom of the channel.

It's gonna be open natural or into the flood down.

The floodplain portion will be left natural open space.

Okay.

So you're gonna engineer it down to the floodway or the floodplain.

Flood way.

To the floodway.

It's different than the floodplain.

It is okay.

And again, no idea, you don't know how wide it is?

It doesn't look very wide.

And then you're also talking about putting trails in there, like people trails.

Yes.

Okay.

So I mean, that the idea, the idea behind this open space is we're trying to conserve the wildlife corridors so animals can move back and forth between the White Tank Mountains and off to the north.

And as we have stuff like this come through, we're trying to protect those corridors and have you not engineered them down, but leave them open, leave them natural.

And then also avoid putting bicycle trails down the middle because if you put a bicycle trail down the middle, that's no longer wildlife, won't use it.

Uh Mayor, Councilman Judd, my name's Mark Reddy with RVI.

I'm the land planner on the project.

So a couple things to your point.

If you look at the the northern portion where my my mouse is here, you can see the wash.

Um, you can see the sandy bottom, and then you can see the edges of the wash and that dark line.

And that represents what we're saving.

As it gets further to the east, it basically starts to sheet flow out.

And that wash and that area is almost a mile wide.

So the entire area to this to the southeast is basically in a floodplain sheet flow condition.

So no matter what you do, that has to be engineered uh in order to reduce this mile-long flat sheet flow into a designated channel.

And so what we're showing is the actual physical channel of water, uh, the flood, the sandy bottom and the edges, the riparian corridors within that wash is what's being zoned open space.

The city also has a requirement for a buffer, I think it's a 75-foot buffer beyond that, where we provide trails.

And so that's not shown in green because it's not designated as permanent open space, but it's part of the open space network.

This is a hard zoning map.

It's not a development plan.

So it it that the development plan is actually gonna look different than the hard zoning.

So, in addition to that green corridor, you're gonna have additional open space for that buffer where the trails would go and all those things will be outside of where the wet water is within the floodplain.

So I think that wash is probably a couple hundred feet wide, and then you're gonna have a buffer on either side of it where you have the trails, and then we're gonna have some internal parks with some internal trails that would then connect to that larger trail system.

And we've done several projects in this area, they all connect to that main wash corridor.

So there'll be a regional trail corridor that will connect not just this project, but all these projects in this area to that main uh trail system within this region.

So are the the trails that you're gonna put in, are they gonna be in the 75 foot buffer or are they gonna be in the open space?

They're gonna be in the 75 foot buffer.

Outside of the open space.

Outside of the flood plan.

And I'd feel a little better if you could tell me how wide this open space is.

Yeah, because I do know that the things we talk about here are not binding.

The only thing that's binding is what's on the paper.

So if you look at this line right here, from this boundary to this line is I believe 150 feet where the right-of-way is.

And so it looks like that's it looks like it's about 150 feet.

I'm I apologize, I don't have the engineered plans, but and and also just so you know the zoning, the the the green line for the zoning is the minimum space that has to be preserved.

Once this is engineered, the engineers have to determine what the actual width of the floodplain is.

It could be bigger than this, it can't be smaller.

So depending on how the engineering um hydraulics work, we may find that we need 250 feet to make it work, but the zoning requires that we have a minimum of what's shown on this map.

And again, these are scaled maps.

I apologize, I don't have the exact number, but it looks like it's about a minimum of about 150 feet.

Okay, but we haven't engineered it yet, so we don't know if it's going to be wider than that.

And so I don't I don't like this for how much smaller this corridor is.

I know you weren't bound with the other with the other map.

I would feel much more comfortable if we had more information here before before approving this hard zoning, more information on how this is actually gonna affect that corridor going through there.

Additionally, the with with the going back to Councilmember Melton's questions, and then um I think Richard, who had spoke earlier talking about the problems on Sun Valley Parkway.

So Sun Valley Parkway being the sole way in and out of this place, right?

Sun Valley Parkway is the choke point.

Yes.

If you want to, if you if you live here and you want to get home and you're in surprise, you have no choice but to go down Sun Valley Parkway.

That's correct.

Okay.

Um, and so this just creates another.

Is that is that in your district, Councilman Haney?

The Sun Valley Parkway?

Yeah.

So this just creates another headache for Councilman Haney.

Was as we get as we get backups out there adding however much density we're gonna add out here.

And so again, I don't think we should be.

This is this is just more leapfrog type stuff, and we really should have multiple roads connecting out there.

So as it stands now between the roadway and I really don't like this open space plan.

I'm against this project.

Thank you.

Could I just address?

I mean, it's it's not a leapfrog in the fact that it already has zoning on it.

So it has the entitlement to do pretty much what we're it's still leapfrogging and it's not tied into the rest of the city resources.

I mean, we've got a leapfrog isn't just a definition, it's a problem.

A leapfrog means that it's harder for fire to get out there, it's harder for police to get out there, there's more roads for us to take care of, there's more infrastructure between the core of our city and where that is, and then you add those choke points to it, those transportation choke points to it.

And this is this these are things that need to be solved before we get this far along.

But I think that's what the development agreement that you approved last week does.

I mean, without this rezoning, then that development agreement doesn't get, you know, that's not that's not part of the development.

And so you have this property that has this PAD zoning on it that can develop as R1 and R2 without the development agreement, without the obligation to put in additional lanes of travel, without the obligation to pay for its pro radio share of the signals at 219th and 227th, without the obligation to connect Deer Valley over to 219th.

You know, there's a there's a lot of things that aren't in there that this could project can still develop.

And so now with with this zoning and the development agreement, I think you're getting a lot more than you have now.

And so with the development agreement, is Deer Valley gonna connect all the way through to the 60 before these houses get built?

No.

Okay, so we're still in the same problem.

So I still don't like this project.

And I'm glad we have the development agreement, but this is we should be talking about this zoning at the same time as that development agreement set after the fact.

Thank you, Mayor.

Thank you.

Councilman Duffy.

Thank you, Mayor.

So much wider wash.

We can show it looks bigger, man.

We can show that as a concept if you want.

Do you have this?

Hold on.

Can you explain how did P and Z come up with that number 975?

What was the metric they used?

975 was the number of lots.

If you look at the conceptual lotting plan now that's allowed in there, um was it was around that number.

And so they just threw out a number and I said we can live with 975.

They just picked a random number.

Well, I said they they said what what's the number?

And we said around 900, 9 to 1,000, 900 to 1,000 lots, which is under the current zoning that could be built.

And so they came up with 975.

There wasn't a lot of you know, thought that went into it.

It was a number that came up, and we were very comfortable with that cap.

But you could go to what like 1400 or something.

That's what you said.

1500 is allowed under the GDC concept.

So under the GDC, you could build that many.

And that's that was one of the concerns that one of the one of the precedents I spoke said that we're concerned about the 1500.

I said, We're not gonna get anywhere near 1500.

So one of the commissioners said, would you be okay with a cap?

I said, sure, cap's fine.

That's when 975 came up.

Okay.

Thank you.

That's weird.

As I mentioned, the current zoning doesn't have the cap on it.

There's no plan.

Well, they said what do you what we would be, what would you work for you guys?

And I think we said 975, it would accommodate the lotting plan that that's on the on the map that you see here.

And then um council member um Judd wanted to see this is a conceptual lotting plan that shows that corridor through there and how it's it's now probably in the 400 feet wide, with once we start actually.

So that really makes a difference on how wide that wash is gonna be.

Well on how many homes.

Yeah, I think the the the key is that there's no there's no wash preserved under the current zoning.

There's no open space designation whatsoever.

And so the new zoning does have an open space designation that preserves a corridor, the real bottom of that wash that could never have any, there could never be any development in it.

And so what happens then when you actually go and start lotting the project, because the city has, like Mark said, I think that's a 75-foot buffer on both sides of the corridor, which adds another 150 feet.

And so what you end up with is a is a much wider wash corridor.

Okay.

That's about 180 feet of its at its max right there.

Well, those lots are 120 feet deep.

So those it's less than two lots.

Oh.

Looks like three lots to me, but looks like a little less than three lots.

Yeah.

I mean, you can stick a ruler on it.

I mean, they have the engineering plan, you should be able to look it up.

Two at the most.

This is this is still the conceptual lotting plan.

There's no, it hasn't been engineered.

I mean, just a little bit ago though, you were saying it was like 150 feet, and now we're well, I think 150 feet is that corridor, the open space corridor.

So I'm trying to discern between the two.

Is that one is one is preserving as hard zoning, open space, which doesn't exist today.

Which is the wash, which is the bottom of the wash.

Then when you actually come to develop, design the subdivision, you end up with the buffers and having to preserve more of the corridor, you end up with a much wider corridor than what is just the open space on the map that you saw before.

If I may, yeah, go ahead.

Um, so you the 75 feet you're talking about, that 75 feet on either side of the wash?

I believe so, yeah.

Well, mayor, council member.

Um, generally what we've done, and we've worked with the city on this, and and none of this has been approved yet, because when we go through the plotting process, that's where the city's requirements for engineering come in.

In general, the way that we deal with zoning is we zone the floodway as zoning, but we don't zone the floodplain because we don't know exactly where the floodplain's gonna be at the zoning stage.

And so until we get zoning, our clients aren't gonna want to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars into all the engineering that goes into it.

So we typically know where the flood way is.

That's typically defined.

And so that's what gets hard zoned because we know that area is gonna be maintained as an open space.

Then once we get into final engineering and we do our drainage and our floodplain analysis, we determine what the actual floodplain widths are gonna be.

And then at the edge of those, at the edge of the floodway limits, we have a minimum of 75 feet on either side.

What the city has allowed us to do on other projects on some cases, not all, but in some cases, is is do 150 feet on one side and none on the other, if there's a trail corridor and things like that.

So that's what this concept reflects.

It's so it shows no additional buffer on the north side, but a larger buffer on the south side.

Now we don't know if we can do that yet because we haven't submitted our plats.

So going by that, there's 150 feet of required buffer outside of the flood, the floodway, and this looks like it's maybe 200 feet wide.

So you're you've got a 50-foot section that you're setting aside there, a whole 50 feet.

Councilman, what you have to remember is this is not an engineered plan.

This is a hand sketch concept to show what it could potentially look like.

So until it's engineering.

I don't like what this looks like at all.

Until it's engineered, we don't know exactly.

And usually your guys' sketches are are a little more sales pitchy than they are real.

And so if this is the best you're offering with the with uh with the hand sketch, I really don't like it.

I mean, this is that's this isn't it's not we're not we're not preserving the corridor there at all.

This is got a pretty good idea where the floodplain is.

Maricopa County goes through and maps out where the floodplain is, just like they map out where the floodway is.

Correct.

So the only way that changes is by your engineering.

Correct.

Okay.

So we've got a pretty good idea where it is now.

In fact, we've got a really solid idea where it is now.

So much so that insurance companies use it to set rates.

Right, right.

The floodplain in some cases, we have some projects in Surprise where the floodplain covers the entire property.

Right.

So the floodplain as it exists today, once projects are developed, those change.

They always change.

We go through the Clomar and the Lomar process, we modify the floodplains to take the low areas out of the floodplain, channeling the water, and then creating the buffers.

And that's standard what we do with with all projects.

Folks, instead of engineering this down to be as small as possible, why don't we use that as part of, I mean, you've got to have open space anyway.

Why aren't we leaving more open space along that natural corridor and leaving the corridor natural and wider?

Well, I think what we're doing is what standard practice is in the Well, that's fantastic.

I'm glad, but this is not this is this is a special wash.

This is a special area.

I mean, the CAP went through, they spent quite a bit of money to put that crossing in up there.

And it's just we're not being a good partner if we're not pushing you and asking you to also be a good partner on making sure this stuff stays open and that things can move through it.

I mean, it and it should be if it's done right, it should still be an asset to your community.

We believe it is, and we believe that this design is a definite asset to our community.

It's consistent with what we've done upstream on the other projects that we've zoned and that are being designed right now.

Surprise foothills is a good example.

This wash goes through surprise foothills, and we've taken the exact same approach with surprise foothills that we're taking with this project.

In fact, the engineers are the same engineering team that designed that project that are actually designing this one.

Okay, well, I still am gonna be against this until I see something better, something that's wider than 50 feet, is what you're giving us.

No, this is this corridor.

Again, I don't have the exact numbers because it has not been engineered yet.

But this corridor is.

So you start you guys started off with, well, you know, it's a couple hundred feet, plus we got you 75 feet on each side.

That sounds like 350 feet.

I'm looking here at a 120-foot wide parcel that's partially covered by trees, drawing a little line on a paper and pasting it across there gets me two of them.

That's 220 feet.

So 220 feet minus the 150 feet that you're giving us for the buffer, leaves us 70 feet.

You're giving us a 70-foot corridor.

No, that's not that's not accurate.

The well, that's it's your drawing.

I I understand that, but that's not what we're providing.

That we're not providing 75%.

I'm going by what you've given me here.

Thank you.

Councilman Haney.

What was the number?

Thank you, Mayor.

Uh, I had a few questions, and while it's still fresh, and Mark, if you want to come back up.

So and Councilman Judd, please interject.

So I I think what we're trying to get is more accurate information as far as that natural corridor, and it seems like more open space on the already existing natural corridor.

Is that possible?

Well, anything's possible.

Well, I know that sure.

Yeah, yeah.

But I'm asking because it seems like I know it's a drawing in the engineering hasn't been done, but it seems like we can at least go off of the minimum amount, which is already existing today with the wash, correct?

We have that number.

Yeah, I mean, generally what, and I'm not an engineer, so I apologize.

I I don't have the technical details in our engineers not here today.

But generally the way that that they do this is they define where the floodway is, which is which is clearly defined, and then they look at the floodplain and they look at how we're gonna grade the site and and where that floodplain limit is based on the federal FEMA requirements.

Um the Federal Emergency Management Agency has requirements for how we design floodplains and floodways.

They follow that process, and so our engineers kind of ballpark it when we're going through zoning because they don't go through that FEMA process until we have zoning because it's a year-long process, it's very expensive.

And so this concept represents what the engineers believe is is likely what it's going to look like.

So once the zoning, if the zoning is approved, or if the zoning isn't approved and we use the old zoning, the same process will we would go through the same process.

We would we would submit what's called a Clomar, a conditional letter of map revision, where we modify the floodplain based on the engineering practices that are defined within the city code and within FEMA, and then that defines where the floodplain is and where the floodway is.

The floodway is the narrower and the floodplain is the wider, and then that's what defines that corridor.

And then beyond that, we provide the buffer with the trails, and that's in the city's code.

So that's how the process works.

And we go through that process with every one of these projects that we that we design, whether it's in the city of Surprise or any other city in in Arizona.

So again, this is a concept.

Um, I don't know exactly how wide it's going to be until we engineer it, but this is the same process that we go through on every subdivision development project that we work on in the city of Surprise.

So you don't select the number that would go through the process and FEMA and then adherence with our city code and standards that would dictate that number, then is that my understanding, or am I way off here?

I asked the question again, sir.

So you said it has to go through an engineering process.

You laid out the all the process that would go in to deciding basically that number that we're we're kind of going back and forth on.

You guys don't decide that number that that is decided through the engineering process.

That's correct, uh, Councilman Haney, the city's uh drainage department and FEMA make those determinations.

Okay.

Um then this might be a question for for Jeff.

So I know that PNZ, they capped you at 975 units, and there previously wasn't a pre-existing cap, correct?

Okay, that 975 units.

Does that include the 55 acres that was moved to surprise foothills?

That's just west of this project.

Yeah, it could.

I it wasn't in the it wasn't clear on the way that that it was set at the PNZ commission.

Okay, so is it is the 55 acres that's in surprise foothills included in that cap, or is it not included?

And this is 975 acres or excuse me, units cap for this specific project, not counting the 55 acres in surprise foothills just west of the property.

The way it was the way it was written, it was it would only include the property here.

That it would only include the property that we're rezoning today, it would not include the 55 acres.

Okay, so then so it's not including that cap.

Not included.

All right, that that 55 acres.

Okay.

So I wouldn't I would like to revisit that then.

Um, and then I know you've worked um and and I appreciate your um willingness to meet with the neighbors who are closest to this project.

Um, and I know you reached out to Kimberly and Michelle, who I think are probably watching.

So shout out to them.

They've been um great community members as far as their engagement with every project, and and I'm very thankful to have them representing not only themselves but their neighbors, but they did list a few things that they're concerned with.

Um, and I wanted to ask you that tonight.

So one of the things is um that they asked is just north of that open space.

Um, so I know there's R1 and then north the open space is R2.

They asked if we could make that change to R1 because um and restricted to single stories, because that's something that's pretty close to their property that they would see.

Uh we we can switch it to R1, making it all single story, yeah.

I mean, that again, we're you know, 200 feet south of them.

I mean, I don't know that and it's that I I can definitely do the R1 because I I saw I saw where that bifurcation was.

And the way it was done initially was the R1 was adjacent to the rural, and the R2 is actually adjacent to the other surprise 120 project that you've got coming in.

So, but I understand the concern, certainly all R1, but I don't know if we can make them all single story homes through that entire I don't know that they could agree to that.

I I just the the the projects are under contract with home builders.

Okay, and so that would be a lot of lots that would have to just be single story, and I don't know that I'm not sure what we're preserving all that much because again it's it's on the south side of Deer Valley Road, which is gonna be 165 feet of right-of-way, plus we've got some setbacks.

I mean, the closest home that we're gonna have to even a home on the north side is gonna be over 300 feet, and I and grade kind of drops towards that wash.

So I don't know that what nobody with in a two-story home is gonna be able to see into anything, and or I don't think it's gonna impede any views of anything.

Okay, because it seems like that that's the concern in the case.

Yeah, she never brought that up with me yet when we met with her.

Okay, yeah.

So I appreciate the willingness to change R1.

I would like to see us to see if we can restrict a single store or at least see what that would look like.

Um, and then I did want to revisit, and I know there's a lot of numbers, and and I know so, and please correct me if I'm wrong.

Initially, this plan had a site for school, about 15 acres, correct?

It did.

Okay, and then that moved.

It did.

Okay, where did that move to?

That moved over to the surprise foothills project.

Okay, and so when that moved to surprise foothills, did that take away lots from that project?

It took away the the the current however many lots that would have been in that 15 and a half acres.

Okay, and then so by moving that we took away lots adjacent to the property, and then those lots are coming here.

Correct.

The school district preferred the school site in surprise foothills.

Okay.

Um, and then I guess my thing is I'm still not clear.

So I would I'd like to re I know there was a 975 unit cap, but I I guess I was under the impression that that did include the 55 acres of surprise foothills.

So I'd like to revisit that cap associated with this specific project.

And I think making that R2 to R1 might might be able to help us get there.

Yeah, I mean it's that's it's it's a very small piece of property.

It's gonna it's gonna reduce those few lots, but so if we made that R1, what would that do to that cap?

I mean, honestly, it's not going to you probably you know, 10, it's not a lot of lots because it's not a lot of lots planned for that very narrow strip.

So you might lose between five and ten lots off that.

Okay.

I'll revisit that.

Um and then so and I know that gentleman, I don't know if he's still, yeah, you're still here.

So I appreciate your concerns with Sun Valley Parkway.

Um I've had an opportunity to come kind of out and into your neighborhood, and and when you make that left on on onto Sun Valley Parkway, especially at night, there's cars flying as we as we know.

And um, and so that light is is definitely needed.

Uh because it it's it's really dangerous to try to exit that neighborhood.

And I know that's something that so many folks that live in the area are very passionate about.

Obviously, any time someone loses their life, that's that's a big deal.

Um, and I grew up here, my family still lives on these roadways.

So anytime I get a notification about an accident, I'm immediately worried, not only about my family, but my neighbors, um, but also I have a lot of family and friends that still live out here.

So I understand your concern, and that's why we are pushing that signal.

Um, but it's important that developers also contribute to to getting us to that signal.

And Jeff, is this development contributing to that signal?

Yeah, as I pointed out, with the development agreement, they would be.

If without without this rezoning, then without the development agreement, they would not be contributing to the signals at 219th or 227th.

Okay.

And those are city obligations already that they're the city's putting in.

So the city's been trying to get these projects to contribute as they go through some type of rezoning process.

Okay.

And so I know we're changing, it sounds like we're agreeing to change that R2 to R1, but we're not sure if we can get down to the single story.

Uh, but with that new that to get that cap, because like I said, I'm not really too comfortable with where the cap is now.

I know there wasn't a cap before.

Uh, but maybe could we go three dwelling units per the acre for the whole project?

Yeah, I think we're at three dwelling units for the yeah.

Are we?

I thought they were at six.

So our clients are watching us that we want to respond to the wash, minimum 200, maximum 600.

Okay.

That's what it's proposed right now.

That's what he measured it.

Yeah, okay.

I uh we're getting text messages for the somebody's trying to measure the wash.

And what he what he's measured it is is the wash varies anywhere from 200 to 600 feet and as it's going through there.

Um shall we 600?

It's probably on the other side over by Deer Valley where there's nothing.

Um rapid fire.

Uh yeah, so the can for the entire project, three dwelling units per the acre.

Three to the acre for the whole project.

Eight units did we have?

What's this?

Hopefully it has good cell service.

And I can I can yield if my colleagues have some additional questions while I know there's some communication going back and forth.

And then the 600.

What about the what about the unit you count?

Decrease like 100 acres just for the piece.

Yeah.

Is it possible to do on this particular spot just uh north of the wash?

Any houses adjacent to Deer Valley can be single story, and the ones that are south of that space can be two-story to kind of accommodate what Councilman Haney's asking and really account for the the houses in there.

If all of it's R3 and then those houses that are just adjacent to Deer Valley Road are one story, so just shift those two stories a little bit south there, and then you're already changing the R1.

I think that could work.

It's maximum.

I think the other question too is the wash.

I know PNZ stipulated a cap on the housing.

Is there a way that we can stipulate um uh the the width of the wash?

Yeah, and I'm I'm you know, I apologize.

We don't have the exact measurements for you here at this meeting because again, we weren't, you know, we we really haven't gone to this level.

But and I understand council member Judd's concerned about maintaining the wash quarter.

And so I think we're fine if you want to add some type of stipulation that the wash has to be a minimum of so wide again, because we haven't we're not there, but I can tell you that I know you're saying it's like 200, but it it's it's what we're showing here is at the very minimum where they're like at that cold sector, but then there's not any lots.

So I mean, when you go from if you want to say the minimum wash quarter between the back of one lot to the back of the next lot, uh you know, we could live with something like 250 feet at a minimum if it's goes from lot to lot line.

Go ahead, Councilman Judd.

Well, we like 975.

You guys like the 975 number?

That's it might be a little wide for the watch corner.

Um, and so where is it 600?

Well, if you look at the very edge of the eastern edge where it fan where it fans out, that's like 600 feet right there.

Okay, going from the road to the no right, sorry right at the very edge.

So this works really fans out.

That's 600.

You have to look up it works here.

This is Mark just did the measurements using this scale.

This is 285.

That's 285.

Yeah.

Okay.

Um can you do more than 285?

Can we get something closer to 600?

Well, no, we can't.

That would be 3.2.

On the wash quarter, that 600 would be too wide.

Okay.

I mean, we could agree to a wash quarter minimum of 300 feet from back of residence to back of residence.

And that's well, let's do a little bit on 300.

So 300 feet plus the 75 foot buffers.

So that put you at 450.

450 is a I don't know that that's a lot.

I feel like we're not getting an auction house.

Yeah, I feel like we're in an option.

Right.

Well, you guys look at that.

God, the gentleman from District 5 has a question.

It's going behind me over here.

Family feud.

Jeez.

Okay, so a couple things.

Turn into like an auction house over here and seeing like how many how we can raise the wash number and lower the density.

Hey, look, I'm all for it.

Um, so the bottom line is, you know, we did this development agreement.

How many cities do the developments like we do and then require the development agreement for that you work with?

Not many.

Zero.

Okay.

The point of the development agreement, which all seven of us voted for at the last at the last meeting, correct?

Correct.

Is to kind of avoid situations like this where we're not, you know, stipulating, you know, from the dias because it we would get to A, B, C, D, E, F.

Right.

So I understand, like, you know, you coming and like you obviously go through the development agreement process before the rezoning is done, you're not gonna dump millions and millions of dollars or however much it costs into the engineering process.

Um, and as far as I mean the drawing was mentioned.

I mean, I I wouldn't be anywhere if I was judged based on my drawing, but I get you know, councilman Judd's concerns um with the wash.

But we all voted yes in the development agreement, and so there's probably a sense that you know we were moving forward in the right direction.

I'm concerned that if we're gonna do the development agreement and then we're gonna come up here and then and kind of still be stipulating, it kind of defeats the whole purpose of that.

So that's maybe a bigger, a bigger, a bigger thing.

Well, so yeah, go ahead.

I was gonna say, I think I think some of the things we're talking about may be appropriate for stipulation on a zoning case.

Yeah, the development agreement was really to capture those infrastructure obligations that you want solidified in an agreement rather than as a stipulation.

But a lot of this information was this not part of the development agreement.

I mean, well, where do you draw the line?

Yeah, yeah, I think I think from a like again from the development agreement standpoint, this the staff is looking at it from an infrastructure.

What what roadways can we get you?

Are you obligated to build?

How can you contribute to the traffic signals?

How can you what can we do from that that perspective?

Yeah, so you're legally required to preserve the wash, correct?

We are legally required to preserve the flood.

Yeah.

So I don't I don't think that this is backwards perfect, but it like the way I'm looking at it for me is just the current zoning now versus the proposed zoning, right?

Obviously, there's ideal scenario where every you know, one unit an acre, maybe, you know, I that sounds awesome.

But um, so we have two options.

The option you're presenting creates a hard cap um at 975.

Um if you decreased it to about down to like three dwelling units per acre, that would be maybe close to like 850-ish or something.

So lower the density by like maybe 100 if I'm asked right.

60.

So what I don't want to do is like, I mean, we're at like the final stages of this product.

I don't, you know, want to say I know some people have said they're opposed to it, like vote down a like a project.

Like I I like this concept, I like the low density, I like the medium density.

Um I mean, I would defer to Councilman Haney as far as you know, but yeah, are we so what are we appropriate?

I guess when it comes to stipulations.

I mean, I don't even know.

Yeah, Jeff, can we do that during this uh particular time?

I think we're at a point now, mayor, where Mr.

Blyley and I probably need to have some discussions in terms of getting what stipulations they can and can't agree to into the ordinance.

Because I think to Councilman Judd's point earlier, we don't want to be based on conceptual lot plans and words.

We want to see it actually in the ordinance.

And I can tell you right now, I'm not comfortable trying to cobble together everything that has been discussed tonight into our draft ordinance as has already been posted to the public.

I would prefer to have those conversations with Mr.

Blyley and then bring this back that we can properly notice the new ordinance.

So would we table it for later?

Is that we would table it, Mayor?

Okay.

Can we have a date or like to April?

If you want to, if you want the next one, yeah, because I mean I I think like these questions, you know, like with the wash and with the density and the and stuff.

I mean, can we make a motion to table it?

First meeting in April.

You can make any motion you want, Mr.

Councilman.

Well, Chris, you sound pretty excited, so I'll let you actually know because he's gonna deny it.

Um, I move to continue this to hold on one second, Councilman.

Are there any other council members that want to careful um have any other questions that way we can put get them out before we go back to tabling it?

No.

I just want to make sure we have everything out on the table now before we mayor just wanted to clarify.

So just to make sure we're being transparent.

Obviously, I I'm guilty, I fired off a lot of things too.

Did you get what kind of I was going with as far as the ordinance, or how does that work?

So it's more organized to the next council meeting with the stipulations.

Mayor, Councilman Haney.

What what I propose is that I sit down with Mr.

Bliley.

We will go through the comments that were made here tonight.

Okay.

We can re-watch the video if we need to re-watch it.

Okay.

We will work those stipulations that were requested and that they can agree to into an ordinance.

Okay.

That new ordinance would then come back to you, and you guys can then vote on that new ordinance with those stipulations already in it.

And I'll be posted to the public, they'll be able to be able to do that.

Correct.

Okay.

Thank you.

Open meeting again.

Yes.

Okay.

All right.

I'll entertain a motion.

Yeah, sure.

I move to continue this to can it just be a date your discretion, or could we need to pick a date?

Obviously, the first meeting April.

April should we think at April 7th?

Not April 1st, right?

That would be April 7.

Okay.

April 7th.

I move to continue this item until April April 7th.

Second.

It's been moved and seconded.

Please cast your vote.

That's passed vote, Mayor.

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

Please read item nine.

Item nine, consideration and action pertaining to the CIP project.

P51010.

G51730.

Multi-generational community resource center.

Comprehensive sign program for the surprise community and resource center, generally located at West Santa Fe Drive and North Hollyhawk Street.

All right, thank you.

Good afternoon.

Or good evening.

Good evening, Mayor and Council.

This item before you is a comprehensive site program for a CAP project.

Anyone so the subject site is located at the northwest corner of Santa Fe in Hollyhawk.

So that's not an example.

The subject uh site zoning is surprise heritage district with the commercial overlay.

Surrounding zoning includes uh that same commercial overlay to the north, west, and south, and then to the east is the residential overlay of the heritage district.

The site plan for the comprehensive sign program and the multi-gen center is shown here with the different multi or the uh different monument signs shown in the respective colors.

So along Santa Fe Drive on the north or on the south side of the site is the primary monument sign that's shown in red.

Shown in yellow on the east side of the site is the secondary monument sign, and then there's also a tertiary sign near the entrance to the facility.

So this slide shows you what that primary monument sign looks like.

The the main intent of this comprehensive sign program is um the LDO allows for class six monument signs as you see here on our Terial Roadways.

Um due to visibility reasons and this um site abutting both Santa Fe Drive, which is a local road, but then immediately behind that is Grand Avenue.

Um the request through this CSP is to allow a class six sign adjacent to Santa Fe, which is classified as a local road, which would otherwise not be allowed.

So comparing the LDO um standards for what would be allowed under the class five, um a max height of eight, this would allow the proposed sign of 14 feet eight inches, and then a sign area would be increased from 32 square feet to uh just under 46 square feet.

The CSP also kind of sets the tone for colors, materials, and design, um, and it is consistent with the multi-gen center itself.

This shows the secondary ground sign that's along Hollyhawk.

Um this does meet the code requirements, so it's just included in the CSP as far as setting the the standards, and then the same with the tertiary ground sign.

This also meets code.

This would be located near the entrance.

There was a neighborhood meeting scheduled on November 12th that was held at the Villa Nueva Recreation Center.

There was one attendee and no questions or concerns about the CSB itself.

The planning and zoning commission recommended approval of this case, FS 25-0853, subject to stipulations A and B.

I'm available for questions, and so is Seth.

Can you go back to the location of the signs for me?

So okay.

All right.

Councilman Mountain.

Thank you, Mayor.

Thank you, Trevor.

Uh stipulations were what?

Thank you, Mayor, uh, councilmember.

So the stipulations are standard two stipulations of the the first one.

It needs to be in compliance with the uh the CSP itself.

Okay and then non-compliance is violation.

Thanks, Trevor.

Uh second question.

I have no objection to building a big sign on on Santa Fe.

Is there a reason why I has to?

I mean, I'm okay with that.

Is there a reason why we went so big?

Just so people can see it from Grand Avenue or what?

Yeah, thank you.

Which is fine.

I don't I have no objection.

I'm just curious.

Yeah, I think I think I would direct to Seth for the explanation on that.

Before we do that, this is uh open to the public, so I'm gonna open this agenda item to the public.

That's on me, not you.

Madam Clerk, did we get any requests to speak on this item?

I did not, Mayor.

I'm gonna close this to the public.

Mr.

Dyson.

Good evening, Mayor, members of the council, Councilmember Milton.

Yes.

To see it from Grand Avenue and other places.

I love it.

That's all I thought so.

Thank you.

Is there it's a light up sign, Seth is digital sign?

Is there a timeline it's gonna turn off so the residents aren't blinded?

We have lots of options.

Um this sign will really not face any of the local residents because it's on Santa Fe of Frontage Road.

Um, and what's going to be on it are gonna be big, beautiful pictures of our programming.

Um, we have we're gonna be moving our senior center right to this location, so it'll be uh great um directional signage to our center.

And so we'll be able to update the community on what everything's going on in the city.

Okay, thank you.

Seeing no other questions or comments from the council, entertain a motion.

Uh mayor I most I move to approve the commands of sign program of the surprise community resource center case FS 250835.

Subduct subject to spec.

Wow.

Subject to stipulations alpha and bravo as brief by staff.

What's in his bottle there?

Second.

It's been seconded.

Thank you.

Please cast your vote.

How do you type out with happening today?

Pass vote, Mayor.

All right, thank you.

Please read item 10.

Item 10, consideration and action regarding the annexation of approximately 5.57 acres of county land, generally located south of the Central Arizona project canal along Pixaletta Drive at 179th Avenue Roadway Alignment.

Good evening, Ms.

Texas.

Good evening, Mayor and Council.

Item number 10 before you as a final annexation hearing for the project titled Vista Montana's case FS25-0291.

The project is located south of the CAP Canal along the Dixoleta Drive and 179th Avenue Roadway Alignments.

The annexation proposal is for two parcels consisting of 5.57 acres of land currently located within Maricopa County.

And this is the existing boundary as it exists today.

And this slide is a more zoomed-in view of the area showing the two parcels of land for right-of-way only.

And this is what the parcel boundaries look like if the annexation is approved tonight.

The intent to annexation was presented to the mayor and city council on January 20th.

The next day, January 21st, the blank petition was filed, and it began a 30-day waiting period to gather the property owner signatures.

The public here the public hearing was held for the blank petition on February 17th, 2026, which was day 27 of the 30-day waiting period to get signatures.

And tonight, the project is before you for the final annexation hearing.

An outreach meeting was held on October 8th, 2025 with all the proper advertising mailers and signs posted.

The meeting was held at Asante Preparatory Academy with no attendees.

So this concludes staff presentation.

Staff is available as well as the applicant's representative Jeff Bliley if you have any questions.

Thank you.

Okay.

Thank you.

This item is open to the public.

Madam Clerk, did we get any requests to speak?

I did not, Mayor.

I'll close this item to the public.

Councilman Haney.

Thank you, Mayor.

Jeff, I have about 10 questions on this.

If you have us, just kidding.

I just thought it I want to clarify because we always clarified.

Um, but I did see I did see some uh some residents kind of post on social media about this.

So I just wanted to clarify and put some minds at ease.

This is just an annexation, so the half street improvements can be conducted, correct?

Correct.

Yeah, it's property that the already owned.

For whatever reason, it didn't get annexed when the bulk of the property was annexed, and now it will be.

So essentially the road will be built either in the county or in the city.

And this would allow the road to be built in the city.

All it is, just building roads.

Yep.

Okay.

Just wanted to clarify so everybody knows there's nothing crazy.

It's just for those half-street improvements to build the roads.

Thank you, Jeff.

Thank you.

So you know that seeing no other questions, I'll entertain a motion.

I move to approve annexation ordinance number 2026-09.

Sorry.

Second.

It's been moved and seconded.

Please cast your vote.

That's a pass vote, Mayor.

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

Please read item 11.

Item 11, presentation and discussion planning to the fiscal year 2025.

Annual audit and annual comprehensive financial report and associated report.

Good evening, Ms.

Simmons.

Good evening, Mayor and Council.

I'm here with our lead auditor from Heinfeld Meach.

She's here tonight.

Um her name's Brittany Williams, sorry.

She's here tonight to um present our FY2025 audit and our financial statements.

With that, I'm gonna turn it over to Brittany.

Thanks, Sandy.

Mayor, members of city council, thanks so much for having me here again tonight to present the annual audit results for the City of Surprise.

I have just a brief PowerPoint to help guide us through our conversation.

This is our team.

You've got me as the engagement partner, and Emily Zamora is your audit manager.

Just a little bit of background information.

As you know, uh governments have to undergo external financial audits for the federal awards, the financial statements.

You have to be subject to all kinds of extra standards in reporting, as well as us as auditors have to follow a lot of standards for the audit, including internal controls, federal compliance, uh statements on auditing standards, and governmental auditing standards board.

I wanted to give you a brief snapshot.

This is our this is the piece that we're responsible for in the annual comprehensive financial report.

This is our independent auditors' opinion on the financial statements.

We gave a clean opinion, indicating that there were no material misstatements that we noted in the financial statements.

We also issued an independent accountants report on the highway user revenue fund monies, saying that they were spent in accordance with state statute.

These are this is kind of the audit timeline that we followed this year.

We did some prelim field work, looked at some federal programs in the summertime, and then we always do our final field work over the financial statements in the first two weeks of November, and then issued our opinion on uh December 16th, which is in uh in accordance with the deadline of 1231, so that you can get the awards, which is very early and is definitely very commendable for the finance team.

We issued the single audit report uh and the expenditure limitation report already as well.

They were due on March 31st and they have already been issued.

Uh the single audit report, I just wanted to briefly touch on that.

It includes a lot of different elements.

It has our report on internal controls over government auditing standards, report on internal controls over compliance for the federal awards that we tested.

It talks about all of the federal awards that were spent by the city for the year, which major federal programs we tested for the year, and if there were any findings.

This is the page that tells you the results of everything.

Um, and as you can see, it's got our auditor's opinion over the financial statements at the top with no's for any findings.

And then the federal award opinion is also an unmodified, which is a clean opinion with no uh a no to material weakness.

We did have one significant deficiency that we found over the Clean Water State Revolving Fund, um, which management I believe had already corrected.

And then uh yeah, that was it for that page.

And these are just some some resources in case you're ever interested in learning more about uh government finance from uh the GFOA and learning about what we do.

But this is our firm, and again, here's our contact information, and I will go ahead and open it up for any questions that you might have for me this evening.

Okay, thank you.

Well, I appreciate you coming in.

You know, I think this report's not just you know, a report, it's really you know, a testament to our commitment as a city um to making sure that we're running our our finances well, and I think it's a testament to Sandy and her entire team to do that.

Uh you know, I think this year was a pivotal year for the city of surprise.

We had the reduction in rental tax uh that we had to account for.

Then we also uh reduced the property tax, which is good for the residents.

We were able to take those into account and still have an unmodified and accurate report, which is I think an amazing thing.

And it just I think demonstrates you know the highest standards that we can possibly achieve as a city.

And again, it's a testament to Sandy and her entire crew.

I think the other part of it is that it kind of shows our strategic growth in that you know it's it's the early stages of our 2023 geo bond, and we're putting the voter approved uh bond to work through the police substation and through critical road improvements.

So I think with all that said, I think it's a fantastic report.

I think it's something that the city should be proud of, the council should be proud of, and I appreciate your time and and diligence going through the report.

Absolutely, and I agree.

Finance does a great job.

We're always very glad to work with them.

Yeah, absolutely.

Thank you.

A gentleman from District Six.

I like how we're doing that today.

Thank you, Mayor.

I'm not sure who that is, but if it's okay if I speak.

Okay.

Um so Sandy, great job.

Clean, clean opinion is always ideal.

And then you're carrying on a great legacy from Andrea.

You know, she left she left the house in pretty good shape.

Then you know you cleaned it up and topped it off here.

Uh, but I I would like I I know I know federal grants are complicated.

There's a lot that goes to them.

Um, but seeing that there's a major deficiency on the report, I think we should spend a little bit of time and and talk about what that major deficiency was and what we've done to correct it if we could.

Absolutely.

So hopefully you guys can hear me here.

Um mayor, councilman Jed.

Uh that deficiency was um a matter of the audit team not being able to find proper documentation that we were looking for representing our our vendors, our suppliers on that federal grant award.

The documentation was not kept.

Um, unfortunately.

So we have ensured that we are there is strict policy on it, and we are continuing uh a documentation for uh any vendors selected for a federal award.

Okay, and if I remember right, it was something like if someone wins the award, you there was a couple steps you had to go through and then document.

Well, it's so it's a website called Sam.gov.

And uh we are to um when we are selecting vendors, we are to go to this website, Sam.gov, to ensure that the vendors have not been debarred from this government website.

And um and so we've probably been doing it, but not documented in the documentation was so when you went back and looked at the vendors we had chosen, were any of them on the website?

They all the vendors were correctly on the website, not debarred from not debarred, so they weren't bad actors.

They were not bad actors, it was just the lack of our documentation.

Okay, and so we've updated the policy and and this is why we have audits.

Yeah, and there's different levels of severity in the findings.

Um, it's you know, you can have either a material weakness, a significant deficiency, a significant deficiency or a material weakness or a modified opinion.

So it was the least severe of the three being at a significant deficiency, but yes, just to Sandy's point.

What we do on our end is we have to make sure there's documentation of suspension and debarment, but then we also follow up and look to see if those monies were misspent with a vendor that was suspended or debarred, and we also verified that they were not suspended or debarred.

So the money was there was no question costs, is what we call it associated with it, because the money was validly spent with a vendor.

Good.

And keep up the good work, Sandy.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And I can't take all credit because 2025 was mostly Andrea.

So but thank you.

Well, any good leader would defer to you.

Um council, any other questions or comments?

Saying none.

Uh it's just a discussion, so thank you.

Thank you.

Madam Clerk, please read item 12.

Item 12, consideration and action by city council demonstrating compliance with ARS 4114 regarding prohibiting extend prohibiting expending any public monies for the purpose of or requiring employees to engage in training orientation or therapy that presents any form of blame or judgment on the basis of race, ethnicity or sex in accordance with ARS 9481 H.

Resolution 2026 23.

Hi again.

Uh Mayor Council, I apologize, clerk, that was a mouthful.

Um also in compliance with state statutes as part of the audit presentation.

Um, by resolution, I am asserting that the city has not paid for any training orientation or therapy that presents any form of blame or judgment on the basis of race, ethnicity, or sexual orientation.

With that, I'm asking that mayor and council accept our assertion that we are in compliance with state requirements.

Okay.

This item is open to the public.

Madam Clerk, can you request to speak?

No, sir.

I'll close this item to the public.

Council.

Uh Mayor, if there's no other discussion, I move to approve resolution 2026-23.

Second.

It's been moved and seconded.

Please cast your vote.

That's a pass vote, Mayor.

Thank you.

Thank you.

At this time, we'll do a call to the public, Madam Clerk, do we get any requests to speak on non-agenda items?

Uh yes, Mayor, I have a list.

So as we've done previously, what I would like to do is queue up five names.

If I call your name, please try to come to the center of the room so that you can come up to the podium at that time.

And we also have a few seats up front.

So if you wanted to sit while other people are talking to make your way to the front, and that's an easy way to get the podium, please feel free to do so.

Perfect.

I'll read the first five names.

First, Marsha Hill, Lisa Everett, Georgia Spillers, Linda Stillers, and William Spillers.

Thank you, ma'am.

Thank you, Mayor and Council members, for this opportunity.

I just want to go on record to state that I am against any of the uh mosques being built in or around the surprise area.

As we've seen in these last few months, there's been a lot of activity on that end.

And to have no neighborhoods that are strictly for Muslims.

We've seen that happen in some of the other states like Texas, and they've had a big problem with that.

Well, recently we've all seen what's been happening in New York City and Detroit and Minneapolis and the late great state of Texas.

We've known Muslims have emigrated here to the United States for decades and decades, either legally, illegally, or they've been invited by the United States government, providing they bring in uh several million dollars.

But then they settle, and then all of a sudden there's an explosion of people, and they can virtually take over a city in time.

And that's what we've seen in several of the cities, especially up north.

And a lot of these people I know personally, and they're very hospitable, very kind.

If they're not called to a jihad, if you're no if you know what that is.

Oh boy.

One second, please, ma'am.

I don't know if I I don't know how to pause the time, but uh, if you're in the audience, I know everybody feels passionate the way that they do, and this is uh a place where you can speak.

Uh I do not want to see anybody booing or cheering.

Let's let the people say what they need to say.

I don't want there to be any intimidation in this room, uh, whether you feel this particular item or any item in the future.

Uh let's just let the the person have their three minutes and we'll move on.

Okay, thank you.

Thank you, Madam Clerk.

Okay.

Well, it is my desire that none of this that we've seen in these other cities in the United States go on here in Arizona and especially in surprise.

And that's very important to me.

I've been a long, I've been a resident of surprise for over 10 years.

Recently, I have contacted uh some of the legislators to please pass a bill that says that realtors do not have to sell property or parcels to the Muslim community because they started they started doing a neighborhood in Texas because of things like that.

I hope this will become law, and I found out today that a law was passed by our Senate that there won't be any Sharia law here in Arizona.

With each day, we see more and more of the influence.

They never want to assimilate with us.

And when a Muslim has been wrongly voted in an office, they know, and a small percentage of Americans know that their allegiances to the Quran and not the 250-year-old U.S.

Constitution.

They're they have the Quran over the Constitution.

We've been told for years that Islam is a religion of peace, and it's not just a religion, it's a total 100% way of life.

All right.

Well, thank you.

As you come to the podium, please remember to state your name.

When you're at the podium, you get your three minutes and you can talk and say what you'd like.

If you're in the crowd and you heckle, you boo, we will remove you from this chamber because we're going to respect people in this chamber regardless of how you feel about an issue.

We're going to hear both sides, and we're going to do it respectfully.

So if I hear anybody else yell or heckle from the crowd, we will pause whoever's speaking.

Go under recess, and you'll be removed from this chamber.

Thank you.

My name is Lisa Everett, and I do live in surprise.

Joe Max and 163rd.

I wanted to talk about something that should should concern every American, regardless of party and regardless of where you stand on immigration.

Right now, the Department of Homeland Security has recently purchased at least nine warehouses across the United States to use as ICE detention centers.

And they plan to purchase at least 24 more.

My question is simple.

Why?

The answer is just as simple and deeply troubling.

We are not deporting people.

We are warehousing them.

These are not hardened criminals.

Many of these individuals have committed no crime other than crossing the border.

These people who are working, paying their own housing, their own food and medical and taking care of their families, they are now being taken into custody and held often indefinitely.

Here's the reality.

So instead of fixing the system, we are did we are filling detention centers.

But there's more.

And then after six months, many are simply released back into society, starting with nothing.

This is not a system.

It is a cycle.

Worse yet, many detainees do not even know their rights.

They do not know that they can file a writ of habeas corpus to challenge their detention.

So they sit and wait.

And while they wait, beds don't turn over.

So what is Washington doing about this situation?

They're buying more warehouses, adding more beds to expand the system.

That is not solving a problem.

It is institutionalizing a failure.

This is not who we are as Americans.

We are a nation of laws, yes, but we are also a nation of fairness, due process, and basic dignity.

If we are serious about immigration reform, we need real solutions.

We need to pass the Dignity Act.

We need a system that prioritizes public safety, respects laws, and treats people like human beings, not inventory.

But instead, because the issue is politically difficult, especially in an election year, too many elected officials choose inaction.

They choose to warehouse people rather than solve the problem.

And that is not leadership.

It's time to do better.

It's time to fix the system, and it's time to remember that that is not how we treat people, especially the most vulnerable.

Thank you.

Thank you.

And people stand as well.

Before you speak, ma'am, I'm just gonna cue up five more names.

Alex Christ, Amanda Kaminskis, Kayla Bishop, Timothy Willard, and Nancy Trujillo.

Thank you.

Go ahead, ma'am.

I am Linda Spillers, Cross Streets are Bell and Reims.

Thank you, Mayor and Council members for your work.

In 1770, Edmund Burke said the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing.

There are some good men and women trying to do something about the serious problem of illegal immigration.

I believe it will destroy our nation if nothing is done.

The warehouse that has been purchased in surprise is one of those plans to try to do something.

Yes, 70 million dollars is a lot of money, but is a lot less than the billions that have been stolen from taxpayers by illegal immigrants.

In 2025, HHS for children and families in Minnesota received 185 million dollars.

Somalian immigrants ran the nonprofit organization feeding our future.

They claim to have opened 200 federal child nutrition programs and to have fed thousands of children, but court documents argue that money was pocketed by fraudsters and spent on island vacations, luxury vehicles, waterfront properties, and other lavish items.

Other large sums were sent to Somalia and Kenya and China.

Investigations continue.

In January 2025, on our southwest border, authorities recorded that 29,001 apprehensions of illegal aliens.

By April, the number had fallen dramatically to 8,383.

These declines reflect new border policies implemented by good leadership.

The current enforcement prioritizes rapid processing of single adult cases while maintaining specialized procedures for families and children.

Immigrants who love America and desire to come here legally and enjoy the blessings of being a citizen, we welcome you.

My grandson-in-law is one of what was one of those immigrants.

He is now a citizen who loves America.

Marxist revolutionaries and those who believe their lies that America's evil and oppressive and was founded on slavery.

Anyone should have the freedom to riot and vandalize property and steal whatever they want and even harm law enforcement officers who get in their way.

Sober warnings have been given.

So and don't cast your pearls before swan.

Pearls and great and mighty things have been evident in our nation because the founders and citizens through the years have been hardworking, compassionate, and have secured the blessings of liberty.

Let's continue to do the same.

And God bless America.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Good evening, ma'am.

My name is George Spillers.

My cross streets are Belle and Wheams.

Each country is unique, and I would not want the United States to follow in lockstep with an immigration system from any other country.

However, the historical record begs the question: why, for at least three millennia, have countries established borders and controlled access.

We see centuries of castle battlements and armed forts and walled cities.

And while the architecture is admirable, these things were not constructed for the purpose of aesthetics.

They were there to protect the populace and property from enemies.

History demonstrates the necessity for such protection, and we would ignore those lessons to our own peril.

We still innately know this on a personal level.

If I were to take a poll of everyone in this room, 99% of those who left an unoccupied house locked their doors, even those who oppose ICE.

Why?

Because they hate everyone in this town and think everyone is a criminal.

No.

Because they recognize that there is a risk to leaving their space unprotected.

Perhaps they have beloved pets inside and wouldn't want them to be harmed by an intruder.

Locking your door does not indicate hatred.

It indicates care and concern and love for the things and lives for which you are responsible.

We know this as individuals, and history teaches us the importance of this for nations.

When they fail to do so, innocent victims pay the price.

Just last week, the families of many of those victims gathered at the White House for the designation of National Angel Family Day to recognize victims and their grieving loved ones, devastated by the consequences of open border policies.

These families all spoke up because their loved one is no longer able to.

Steve Ronnebeck's son, Grant was shot and killed by an illegal alien while working at an Arizona convenience store.

Laura Wilkerson's son, Joshua was tortured and killed by his illegal alien classmate.

Marie Vegas' son Javier was ambushed by two illegal aliens during a family fishing trip.

At this ceremony, Alison Phillips, the mother of Lake and Riley said, if you've lived that nightmare that we have lived, you understand the importance of the job that Trump is doing in securing our nation and fighting for our families.

There are many who want to protect our nation.

Officer Ethan Carreri arrested Lakin Riley's murderer in New York months before he went to Georgia.

If he had been detained, he would not have been able to murder her.

But he was released because some officials failed to enforce the law.

We need detention facilities and officials who will lock the doors.

To my fellow citizens, when you lock your door and protect the security of your home, remember to be thankful for the many individuals who protect the security of your nation.

Before you begin, Alex, let me read some more names, please.

Amantha Cooley, Maureen Miller, Anne Carrell, Lisa Brinkman, and Lynn Gelling.

Thank you.

Hold on one second, Alex.

Ma'am, you can be next.

You can have a seat and we'll bring you forward.

Go ahead, sir.

Thank you, Mayor.

Alex Waddell at 175th Avenue.

Mayor, Vice Mayor, Council members.

Someone came before this council and hypothetically advocated arson.

Well, someone literally has taken that person's advice.

They broke a window, started a fire, and threw a propane tank in the hopes that it would destroy the building.

And also endangering our firemen and our police.

This is not an isolated incident.

It has happened in Kansas.

A woman is filmed doing practically the same thing.

Washington State, Idaho, Texas.

Plenty of videos of people trying this arson hypothetical arson deal.

Is that the message that we want to send?

If you don't like it, burn it down.

That's not the message I want.

We don't advocate violence.

Those that come before you and bring their hatred, anti-Semitism, and fear mongering are neither needed nor welcome in our city.

And Mayor, I just want to thank you.

I want to thank you because I believe that you have been chosen for a time as this.

And I believe that.

And I did vote for you.

And I knew that with your leadership, that this city will become great.

And that's what I advocate for today.

I want to express my support for our troops, for those who put on the armor to protect my family who will say nothing is going to harm you to our chief and his and uh his police officers and police women and men to our firemen who continue to go into fires as I'm running out of fires.

Mayor, these are heroes.

And also to those who work in the medical.

These are our heroes, my heroes.

And I know, Mayor, that they make my city of surprise the greatest city.

And so I will be praying for them, and I pray for wisdom for all the council members that as you hear each and every single voice here, that you will bring your expertise, your also lived experience, and know what is needed for our city.

I appreciate your time.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Go ahead, ma'am.

My name is Amanda Kaminskis, and I work at 137th in Greenway.

Good evening, Mayor and Council members.

The land sale may be complete, but your silence is not required.

Tonight I am asking you to publicly oppose the ICE detention facility and to use every legal tool available to make it harder, not easier, for this facility to open in surprise.

Once those doors open, we cannot say we didn't know.

ICE detention centers across this country have a documented record of medical neglect, preventable deaths, abuse, and inhumane conditions.

People disappear into these facilities.

Families are torn apart.

Oversight is limited.

And now one is planned for our city.

We have seen in history what happens when communities look away, when people in power convince themselves there is nothing that they can do while harm happens behind walls.

It is your responsibility to do something.

This will not be a quiet building.

It will bring national attention, protest, armed federal presence, and ongoing tension to our neighborhoods.

I work five minutes from the site.

I care for high needs, autistic, brown-skinned girl who has a history of eloping when overwhelmed.

When she runs, she does not process commands the way officers expect.

In a calm area, that risk is frightening.

In a high tension environment with armed federal agents nearby, that risk becomes deadly.

A frightened child, an officer on edge, a split second misunderstanding.

And she is just one child.

There are other autistic children, elderly residents, people with mental health conditions, families who chose surprise because it felt safe and stable.

You may not have approved the sale, but you are not powerless.

Pass the resolution, scrutinize permits, examine zoning and public safety impacts.

Make it clear that surprise does not consent to being a detention hub.

History will remember who spoke up and who stayed silent.

Please choose courage and speak up.

Good evening.

Go ahead.

Good evening.

It is abundantly clear that this council feels as there is as though there is nothing more than we could do to prevent ICE from moving forward.

So if that's the case, it would be somewhat comforting to hear you all outline ways in which you can make us feel safer.

In our mayor's own words, on his recent AZ PBS interview, quote, if they are going to operate there, or if they are gonna operate here, how does the city of surprise better plan and prepare for what they are going to do in our city to make sure that we are maintaining our safety for our residents?

Unquote.

This is the exact question that we need a direct answer to.

I stated these particular examples at the previous meeting, but I would like to bring them up again.

Here's a short list of other cities and mayors that actually are fighting back by making it difficult for ICE to function smoothly.

Number one, as we have seen, ICE sat around in neighborhoods and unmarked cars, waiting for their moment to kidnap who they deem fit.

The mayor of Minneapolis and Chicago signed an executive order that bans any law enforcement from camping out in city-owned parking lots, garages, or vacant lots.

These areas will be marked as restricted.

Number two, probably one of the most important ones of all, the Denver City Council unanimously voted to ban ICE agents from wearing masks while within city limits.

Federal agents are required to have invisible ID that clearly identifies them from at least 25 feet away when operating in Denver.

Number three, newly introduced in February 2026, Seattle council members are proceeding to utilize emergency legislation that would ban new detention centers or jails within city limits.

This would prevent this from happening again.

Before I finish, I wasn't gonna do this because you were doing pretty good earlier, but I would like to bring the attention to our very own Jack Hastings, District 5.

I am within District 5, in which you've chosen to represent.

While it is true, and I can't acknowledge that you have voted in ways that have benefited surprise.

It is also true that you are the only one to vote against simply asking Christine Gnome questions.

According Daisy Central, when you were asked why, you voted that way, you declined to answer.

If you are compelled to vote against something, then maybe you should be bold enough to state your reasoning.

In the summer of 2026, all districts one, five, and six are up for election again.

So let us this let us.

Sorry, I'm nervous.

Let this be a reminder to do research on who we're voting for.

History has its eyes on you at this very minute.

Girl.

History has your history has its eyes on you this very minute, and so do we.

Good evening, Mayor, Council, Council members, city staff.

My name is Nancy Trujillo.

My cross streets are Bell and Reems, more specifically, Reims and Young.

I also live in District 5.

I'd like to start off by saying by thanking Surprise PD for their cooperation and professionalism every Saturday during our past weekly protests.

Their presence has made me feel safer while out exercising my right to freedom of speech.

That being said, allowing an ICE detention center to operate in our city will drastically change how safe surprise residents and members of nearby communities will be.

ICE presence will be a danger to the community.

This administration is making it so that people can wear their hate and racism outwardly, as we have seen tonight.

Do we want to see that every day in our city?

We're moving in the wrong direction.

ISIS treatment of individuals who are mostly hardworking people that just want better lives for their families than what they had is illegal without due process, inhumane, discriminatory, and unjust.

Your constituents are asking, begging you to stand up with us and publicly at least express opposition to the ICE facility in surprise.

We understand that DHS has already purchased the building, but we refuse to accept that you all just throw your hands up and say that you didn't know, or there's nothing you can do.

Mayor Sarder, your bio on the Surprise website states that you are, quote, the safety coordinator for Dysert Unified School District and ensures the highest standards of safety and security in K-12 education.

You have the responsibility to the students in the school district, and they have expressed their concerns to you.

What actions are you planning to take to ensure the safety and security of students when there is ICE presence very close to their schools?

I am a second generation citizen.

I recognize this privilege.

However, I now carry my passport with me at all times at my mother's urging because I look the part.

I'm here for those that cannot express their concerns for fear of retaliation or being targeted.

My household is prepared to stop attending city events, including spring training games, which we have gone to frequently in past years.

We're prepared to do our spending, including food and groceries in other cities if we don't see action from our city officials.

I invite my neighbors to do the same.

Jack, I live in your district and have had the pleasure of seeing you out and about for a walk with a loved one on a nice day.

I ask that you recognize your privilege to be able to do this and think about how many families will not be able to even do this if ice moves into our communities.

I also want to say that I have seen your behavior in city council meetings when this topic is being discussed.

And frankly, it's a slap in the face.

I believe that your actions have shown us where you stand on this issue, and I'm not afraid to say that I won't be voting for you this upcoming election.

You can save your mailings, house visits, phone calls, whatever.

I will gladly give you my address so that you can put me on a no contact list.

Back to the rest of city council.

Actions speak louder than words, and silence is complicity.

History will remember which side you were on.

Thank you.

Good evening, Mayor and City Councilors.

My name is Ian Carew and I live in the Grand.

So I guess that's Bill and whatever.

Sunrise.

And uh I'm here because of concern regarding the opening of a detention center in surprise.

And realizing that it's not just an administrative issue, it is also a moral issue happening on your watch.

Moral courage is the willingness to act on one's conscience despite the real possibility of personal cost.

You have said you didn't know about the sale, but that does not absolve you of responsibility.

In fact, it makes it even more urgent for you to use every lever of your authority for both both personal and civic to prevent the development of the detention center, especially one with a well-documented history of unhealthy and inadequate conditions.

Even though your legal authority may be limited, your moral authority is not, and it is more essential than ever.

You can still take a public stance.

You can still say clearly and without hesitation that you do not want a detention center center in this city.

Silence is a choice, and it is the wrong choice for surprise.

I understand the political risks.

I understand the fear of losing support, but leadership is not about protecting your comfort.

Leadership is about protecting your community.

And right now, your community is asking you to show moral and leadership courage, not caution.

Most people in surprise believe immigration laws should be followed.

But what we are witnessing now, as the laws are implemented, is not simply enforcement.

It is enforcement with blatant cruelty and cruelty carried out in our name is unacceptable.

And let's be clear the Rockefeller company walked away with millions of taxpayer dollars in a sale you say you didn't know anything about.

That is not just troubling, it is outrageous.

If a decision of this magnitude can bypass the elected representatives of the city, then the system is broken.

And it is, and if it is broken, you have a duty to fix it.

So I'm asking for two things.

First, take a public stance against this detention center, even if you cannot stop it, your refusal to endorse it matters.

Second, investigate how this transaction happened without your knowledge and commit to ensuring that nothing like this ever happens again by reforming the laws that govern such decisions.

We deserve leaders who will not hide behind the process.

We deserve leaders who will stand up, speak out, and defend the moral character of this city and its citizens.

Thank you.

First of all, I want to say thank you for your time and letting us all come to speak.

So I appreciate your time.

Locking your doors and locking the borders and keeping everyone safe, I think is everybody's wish and desire.

Nobody wants to be unsafe.

And we respect and I support our police department has done an outstanding job protecting everybody that is protesting on the weekends, including myself.

I really appreciate their support and their commitment and their professionalism.

But we're not talking about that here.

ICE is not that.

These are roving gangs, combing the streets, yanking people out of their cars, grabbing people that look like they might not fit in to whatever paradigm that is supposed to be, your skin color, your speech, the color of your skin, where you might be from, what you're driving.

They're sitting on the side of roads scanning license plates, looking at names and thinking, oh, that person, they don't belong here.

They we need to pull them over.

I was watching on Instagram recently, and I'm not a social media person.

I'm never on there.

Um, but I just happened to get on there for a family event, and there was a woman, a state senator in a suburb of Apple Valley, which is just outside Minneapolis.

And on her Instagram, she said she wanted to talk about and warrants people.

It's not just in the city.

She said she lives out in the suburb.

She lives far outside the in the suburb, and that she every day has to witness cars sitting running on a side of the road with the doors open, where they've just been snatched and kidnapped out of their car and disappeared.

There was a six-month-old baby that was pepper sprayed because the mom was trying to go pick up her child at her school.

They form circles around school entrances and exits so people can safely come and go.

The schools call families and tell their kids not to go to school that day because there could be violence.

This is not what the CF surprise is about.

You've invested time and effort and money into tourism.

Do you think anybody's gonna want to come here when we have raving roving ice gangs through the streets?

Is the $60 million that and supposed tax revenue that Christine Gnome has guaranteed the city worth the loss of tourism and safety and all of this time and effort, all the discussions you're having about expanding into new housing projects.

Is that worth it?

Is that our 30 pieces of silver?

Let's stand on our values.

Let's stand up for our residents.

Let's stand up for our countrymen.

They deserve it.

We deserve it.

We should not be bought or kept quiet.

Thank you very much.

Okay, ma'am.

Ma'am.

Have your name, please.

Good evening, ma'am.

You can go.

Go ahead.

Hi, my name is Samantha Cooley.

I do not live in surprise.

I drive here an hour every city council meeting.

I want to thank the mayor and the council members.

I really do appreciate you listening to your constituents and your non-constituents.

As this concentration at camp not only affects surprise, but it affects the entire country and the world.

What happens here is being watched throughout the world.

And I'd like to remind you all that what you do next will be remembered in history.

I brought with me today a couple of things that as community members we build, we make and we hand out, we pay for ourselves.

Business know your rights packets, whistles, um, that we hand out with know your rights packets.

Um these are all things dumped by volunteers because we care about the people that we don't know, and we understand what ICE is doing.

I have a busy life.

I own a business, I take care of my 80-year-old father.

You know what I always find time to do?

Give a shit about other people.

Excuse my language, but this is very frustrating that it seems like you're complicit.

Um yesterday I did bring pictures of you of Emmanuel Damas, a Haitian man who died in ICE custody in Florence yesterday.

He had a toothache.

He complained about the toothache in February, and I brought the picture of him on life support right before he died, compared to the picture of him before I picked him up in September in Boston where he lived.

Does Surprise want to have all of these deaths, deaths on their conscience?

He is the 57th person that ICE has killed this year.

It's the 62nd day of the year.

They are killing one person per day.

Are your hospitals ready?

Are your ambulances ready to be waiting outside of this concentration camp to pick people up and take them so they can die in your hospitals?

Core Civic makes 152 dollars a day per inmate on these people.

The city or the state of Arizona imprisons people for 70 dollars a day and gives them full health insurance.

There's a problem.

We're paying money for people who do not offer health care, and they're killing people in concentration camps.

What are you guys gonna do to stop this killing from happening in your city?

And that's all you got.

Oh, we just can you call a few more names, please?

Thank you.

Uh next five names.

Sharice Shepard, Joseph Ramsey, Christina Bonta, Ashley Palmer, Eric Merrill.

Thank you.

Good evening, ma'am.

Go ahead.

Hi.

Hi, my name is Maureen Miller, and I live at 16063rd Avenue and Grand.

And I first of all wanted to start by letting you know that I was impressed tonight with how the first uh topic that you had about mountain mountain ranch and the scrutiny that you gave to that project, especially Mr.

Judd.

I appreciate the intense uh conversation.

I wish that you would do the same thing for the size facility that we're faced with.

I want to start by saying I do not want an ICE facility in surprise or anywhere in this country.

And I feel especially bad for people who live, work, and go to school in that area.

With regard to safety, it's not the immigrants that we have to be worried about.

It's the ice goons and their tactics that are the safety issue.

You have heard from many of us how problematic this ICE facility will be to our community.

And although look although it's located in surprise, it will impact the entire Phoenix area and beyond.

The regularly scheduled city council meeting on March 17th is canceled due to your trip.

With this in mind, I expect that the ICE facility will be a topic on your agenda for April for the April 7th meeting where you will provide us a formal update.

Local news reports from February 23rd state that DHS intends for this facility to be up and running by the end of this summer.

Once again, I remind you that we cannot erase history, but let's agree to be on the right side of history.

At this point, I have to be honest, it feels feels as though you have acquiesced, but I hope that I'm wrong.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Go ahead, sir.

So uh Tim Willard, I'm uh in District Six.

Um Reams and uh here about a month ago, and I mentioned at that point that I've never talked in front of more than 12 people at a time.

So it makes me a little nervous.

Um last time I was here, I talked about uh uh the inhumanity of a nice facility, um, our concerns with uh the infrastructure, um the sewage, uh water, uh so forth.

Um but today what I'd like to do is um introduce you to my dad, World War II veteran, combat veteran, European theater, fought the fascists so that we didn't have to fight them here.

That's my dad.

In the closing days of the war, his unit came across um a colonel, Nazi colonel, and two of his lieutenants.

The colonel spoke perfect English because he had been educated here and uh called back to Germany at the beginning of the war.

Um two days and two nights to get him back, them back behind the lines and to uh the POW camp.

Um that colonel spoke constantly, Nazi propaganda, master race, uh mongrel, races, etc.

One stop.

My dad said it was so happy to get him back to where somebody else could take him off his hands.

Um at uh the end of the war, um yeah at Fort Benning.

And uh my mom met him there for their second night.

Um as uh he shipped out one day after they married.

Um looking for off base housing.

My dad said the most uh wrenching thing that he came across there was uh about every few blocks somebody on a soapbox with the same rhetoric as he had heard from that colonel.

Um I just uh dad impressed upon us, my brothers and I don't ever think that it can't happen here.

Um there's more fascists here than you can imagine.

We always have to be aware.

If you hear it, if you see it, you gotta stand up, you gotta speak out.

Thank you.

Sir, thank you for your dad's service as well.

Thank you.

Ma'am, go ahead.

Good evening.

Uh my name is Lynn Galen, and I live in the Grand.

I'm here tonight to respectfully urge the council to oppose the proposed attention facility associated with the U.S.

immigration and customs enforcement at the warehouse site near Sweetwater Avenue and Dysert Road.

My concerns are not abstract, they're practical, local, and rooted in the responsibility we all share to protect our community, our infrastructure, and our quality of life here in surprise.

First, public safety and environmental risk.

The proposed facility sits across the street from an industrial chemical logistics operation.

Facilities of this type are typically located in warehouse districts for a reason.

This type of facility houses hazardous materials regulated by federal risk management programs, placing a detention center housing large numbers of people and staff directly across the street from that kind of a facility doesn't make sense.

If there's a chemical release, fire, or transportation accident, the consequences could be far more complex and dangerous.

We would even want to think about.

Every day I read stories, and surprise is one of the first cities that's mentioned as a place that this is going to happen.

If we stand up and say we don't want this, and I'm talking to you all, you gentlemen.

But we need to speak out and say that, and we need to have you do it.

Because our officials who would help us, they want to see that you all support the opposition to this.

It said, if you aren't angry with what's going on in your country, you are not paying attention.

Well, I'm angry, and I am paying attention.

Number one, am I wrong in assuming that you are on board with having a detention prison camp in our city?

Number two, am I wrong in assuming that you have not responded to all the public pushback from your constituents?

Number three, am I wrong in assuming that you are not doing everything possible to fight the statistic prison camp in our city?

Four, am I wrong in assuming that you have not seen the negative national coverage on television in the numerous news articles about DHS purchasing these warehouses?

Some facts that I have uncovered with little effort on my part.

Cities and states are taking up the fight and being successful.

Sometimes the simplest acts of defiance are working, like the conservative Georgians refusing to turn on the power or water to these facilities.

Public nuisance is a legal term referring to acts or omissions that disrupt public rights, harm the community, or endanger public safety, health, or morals.

In Arizona, public nuisance laws are governed by both state statutes and local ordinances aiming to balance individual freedoms with communal well-being.

DHS nationwide plan to spend 38.3 billion dollars to boost detention capacity to 92,000 beds.

That works out to over 416,000 dollars of bed of our tax dollars with no ever oversight or competitive bidding.

In closing, I implore you to do something, anything to stop this from happening in our city.

We're gonna take a 10-minute recess.

Okay.

All right, I'll reconvene the regular council meeting.

Madam Clerk, can you please call five more names?

Yes, sir.

Alan Christensen, Christy Neelson, Natalie Esther Vega Lopez, Alexa Coulter, and Shelly Smith.

As you come up, remember to say your name, please.

Good evening.

Hi.

My name's Ashley Palmer, Grand and Dear Valley.

I'm here tonight because this is my home.

I'm a Latina Arizona native in this city and its neighboring city, El Mirage is where I grew up.

My family, my friends, my community, long before any of you had a seat in this office, we have cultivated these towns.

And in doing so, we've been able to collaborate with all backgrounds that is what makes a community rich in culture and our environment.

So what will it be?

Will it be that those were just words just to get you a vote?

Or are those words going to be turned into action that your city's demanding from all of you?

On paper, that's all very impressive and honorable.

But what does that do when it comes to being played when there's a detention center in our own backyard?

Mayor, you out of all people know what has been displayed by ICE and the current administration isn't about criminals being taken off the streets.

That is the oath and the responsibility you wanted.

That is what you ran your campaign on.

We know what ICE is capable of.

We know the lack of negligence that they lead with, and to sit here and send a lackluster letter to Chrissy Noam is not even close to enough.

The truth is facts don't work where pride is in charge.

Please do not let that be the case here.

This is only the beginning for surprise to be scrutinized if nothing is to be done.

Take a stand with your people and protect us.

Demand transparency and utilize your community to stall this detention center.

Show us where you stand.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Good evening, sir.

Good evening.

Cross Streets are 91st in Peoria.

My name is Joseph Ramsey.

I'm running for U.S.

House of Representatives right here in Arizona's 8th Congressional District.

I sincerely want to thank each and every one of you for being here tonight.

And I know that you are not just listening, but that you are hearing us.

ICE facilities have been rejected across the country, and it needs to be rejected right here in the beautiful city of surprise.

We refuse to be ruled by this tyrannical, traitorous, pathologically lying sociopath and the circus of incompetent fascist criminals.

Either people in positions of power will stop this breach of our constitution, or we the people will stop it by any means necessary.

Or soldiers in our streets, government surveillance, human rights abuses.

That they can bring their culture, their food, their language, their faith, their music, they can bring their humanity to America and live free.

In closing, I have a message for the suckers and the losers who are crawling through our neighborhoods, kidnapping, killing, and torturing our citizens.

In the name of patriotism, causing pain and inflicting hardships on others while pretending to be people of faith.

You can't pick up that cross until you stop hiding behind it.

You can't pretend to defend freedom while denying it to others, and you will not find salvation in your savagery.

Put down your guns.

But your salvation is at home.

Or you will not just be on the wrong side of history.

You will not just be on the wrong side of humanity.

You will be on the wrong side of the prison walls when this hateful racist, fascist, godless Nazi regime comes to an end.

Once again, for the record, my name is Joseph Ramsey.

And I'm running for U.S.

House of Representatives here in Arizona's eighth congressional vision.

Good evening, ma'am.

Mr.

Mayor, Council members, members of the community.

My name is Christina Bonta.

I live just south of Bell on Lichfield.

I spent the first 70 years of my life being one of the quiet ones.

But now I'm compelled to exercise my right as a citizen to speak up against what is going on, not just in our city, but all across our country.

From Trump and his sycophanic minions in the cabinet and both houses of Congress, all the way down to you, our city council.

Last month, you had 120 people, residents of surprise sign up to speak to you about ICE.

You had over a thousand protesters outside last month, saying we don't want ice in our city.

And you chose to do nothing, saying federal agencies are not subject to local zoning laws.

This is a lie.

Whether you acted out of fear or because you are complicit.

The bottom line is you are not doing the job that you were elected to do.

That is to govern according to what is best for our community.

You can still do that.

The proposed ICE facility has not opened yet.

And in light of new reports that it will hold up to 10,000 instead of 1500.

You have a responsibility, an obligation to the city to revisit your decision.

At the very least, this increased number will increase the strain on our city services, if they're even able to cope with the volume.

Aside from logistics, this proposed ice facility, this detention camp, is just one example over the last year now of Donald Trump and his goons violating the Constitution.

I've provided copies of the pocket constitution for each of you.

You need to read it.

You council members have a duty to stand up and say no to ICE.

Because what they're not what they're doing is not just illegal.

It's not a political question of right or wrong.

Right or left.

It's a question of right or wrong.

Your constituents are watching what you do and what you don't do for our community.

If you can't or won't say no, then step down and let someone else do it.

Tell ICE, this 737-year-old grandmother, this daughter of a decorated World War II vet who fought in Okinawa, this descendant of a Scottish immigrant who fought against tyranny in the Revolutionary War.

This American demands that you tell ICE, not just no, but hell no.

Good evening, sir.

Couldn't say your name in proper record.

My name is Alan Christensen, and I'm not a resident of your fair city.

I'm a resident of New River.

But I drove an hour to come here tonight to speak out against this ICE concentration camp.

I'm a retired U.S.

Marine.

I served 23 years, multiple wars, two tours in Iraq, combat veteran.

During that time, I've seen some things.

I've been in a country that disintegrated.

I've watched the things that happen.

And now I'm starting to see some of those same things starting to happen in cities across this land.

You know, I fought for this country.

I served my country.

And I'm seeing things happen here that I never thought possible.

I'm seeing masked men kidnapping people with no due process.

People are locked up because of their race, because of the color of their skin.

This is a moral moment.

Our children and our grandchildren will read about this in the history books someday.

What will you say when they ask what did you do when they were rounding up people and putting them in camps?

Did you speak out?

Or did you remain silent?

Did you stand up for your neighbors?

Or did you look away?

Did you obey in advance?

Or did you just follow orders?

What did you do to stop it?

This is a moment that will follow you for the rest of your life.

And what you say and do now will echo down through eternity.

History is not kind to those who look away, and even worse, to those who collaborate in atrocities.

After World War II, the Nazi leaders were put on trial at Nuremberg.

They said that they were only following orders, that there was a war.

And if they didn't do it, they'd be shot.

They forgot that there's a higher law.

There's a higher authority.

There's a duty to humanity, to decency, and to morality.

After the Holocaust, the world made a promise to those millions of innocent dead.

We said we would never forget.

We said, never again.

I'm asking you to do your duty to obey your oaths to this community.

And I'll close with the words of Reverend Neomuler.

First, they came for the communists, and I did not speak up because I was not a communist.

Then they came for the socialists, and I did not speak out because I was not a socialist.

Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out because I was not a trade unionist.

Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out because I was not a Jew.

And then they came for me, and there was no one left to speak out.

Thank you.

Thank you for your service, sir.

Good evening.

Good evening.

Hi, everyone.

My name is Eric.

I'm not a current resident of Surprise, but I was in the inaugural sophomore class at Willow Canyon High School.

Shouts out.

Back when this was all dirt.

I went on to serve as a U.S.

Navy submariner, not a submariner on Vie on that Hill.

And graduate with a bachelor's degree from Arizona State University.

And now, like so many ASU graduates before me, I'm a plumber in Maryvale.

I just wanted to say a couple of things to the council.

First, thank you so much for your time and attention.

Got it.

Second, what we are discussing here today is a concentration camp.

The Project of ICE is a project of ethnic cleansing.

You've been told this 200 times now, 300 times, I believe, they are killing people.

And since I'm not entirely convinced, I'm standing before people of honor and dignity, and each of you aren't just three real estate lobbyists in a trench coat.

I will now enact my secret agenda of instead addressing the audience.

Many of you, most I think, are here because you're readers.

And that's why you know what's happening and why you have to act.

And many of my fellow white people in the room have been, in fact, for a long time, supporters of civil rights causes for our black, indigenous, and immigrant brothers and sisters, as allies with care not to center ourselves.

Well, now we're all in the same boat, baby.

ISIS hunting dissenters of the regime, just as they hunt anyone foreign born.

So it's time for us all to lock arms and fight as one.

Some of us, however, are new to this and may be struggling with what we're witnessing, thinking, why is this happening?

Why us?

Why now?

What do we do?

And I want to remind you of what Gandalf did in that first Lord of the Rings movie.

I know you've all seen it.

Once he caught a vibe that the wizard of fascism was rebuilding his forces, he stormed out of Bilbo's house and went straight to studying up on history.

We should be doing the same.

We should get familiar with two big scary words.

My historical materials materialists in the room have seen this day coming for years and recognize current events by a name, the Imperial Boomerang.

The tools of repression that colonial empires use abroad will inevitably find their way back home to be used against the citizens on the mainland.

I will recommend one book by name, The Jakarta Method by Vincent Bevins.

This book will show you what this country has done abroad to crush dissent and what can you can expect it will do at home if we do not act decisively, incredibly decisively to stop it right here and now, which we can only do by organizing.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Madam Kirk, please read additional names.

Thank you, Mayor.

The next five, Eric Stafford, Brent, Pete, Catherine Faber Hagen, Maureen Mandel, Happy Schwant.

Thank you.

Good evening, ma'am.

Mayor, City Council members, my name is Christy Nielsen.

I'm here again to protest the installation of the ICE detention center in the purchased warehouse in our city.

It was bill as a warehouse to contain goods and merchandise, not people.

When a housing development is proposed, it has to be approved for zoning and has to prove that it has water enough to sustain it for many years and meets all the regulations.

Hotels have to do the same.

None of this was done prior to the purchase.

As we discussed at the last meeting, this is near seven schools, residential areas, and our public parks.

I've lived in Phoenix, the Phoenix area since 1970, and we built our home in Surprise, the Grand in 1998.

Surprise was still a very small city inhabited by many Hispanic families working hard in the agricultural fields that surrounded our city.

There was a cotton gin nearby.

Our home was finished in the hot summer and mainly built inside and out and landscaped by our Hispanic community.

Our beautiful city with a diverse population will become unsafe for anyone appearing anything other than of European descent.

This troubles me greatly as I have members of my family, as many others do of many origins.

The most disturbing issue to me is the lack of training and utter disregard for our constitution by ICE officers.

Testimony to Congress by former ICE lawyer and trainer Ryan Schwank brought this to my attention.

He testified after working for ICE for four and a half years.

He volunteered to take on an assignment in Georgia, training new recruits.

He said on his first day, he received secretive orders to teach new cadets to violate the Constitution by entering homes without a judicial warrant.

The Trump administration worked to recruit, train, and deploy new officers at a rapid pace.

ICE announced that it had hired 12,000 in the past year, cutting the training time down even more.

Some only long enough to get their gun badge and body armor.

Schwank felt he had to resign as he could not keep it a secret.

As he was told he must by a supervisor.

We cannot have surprise turn into another Minneapolis where excessive force was used against immigrants and protesters and shooting and killing of two U.S.

citizens.

All other law officers of the U.S.

hold up their hands and take a pledge to uphold the Constitution.

They have professional standards, investigators to see that all rules are followed.

If there's an officer shooting, the investigation is turned over to another agency for full investigation.

Thank you.

We don't want ICE here.

Thank you.

Good evening, Mayor.

Good evening, Mayor, Council members.

My name is Shelley, Shelley Smith, and I'm a 10-year resident of the Grand.

I'm here again tonight because I'm angry, not just about the ICE facility itself, but about how this was done to our community.

A massive federal detention center, more than 400,000 square feet, was quietly purchased in our city without meaningful respect or meaning without meaningful notice, without transparency, and without respect for the people who live here.

Families bought homes here, seniors retired here, children go to school here.

And yet this decision was made behind closed doors as if our voices didn't matter.

That's unacceptable.

This is not a small federal office.

This is not a minor zoning tweak, although those sure get your attention.

This is a detention and processing facility that could hold over 1,500 individuals in a warehouse that was never designed to house human beings.

A warehouse built for storage, not for medical care, not for humane conditions, not for long-term occupancy.

And it sits near neighborhoods, near families, near schools.

Thousands of residents have already spoken out in opposition.

That should tell you everything you need to know.

This is not partisan noise.

This is community outrage.

We attract retirees, young families, small businesses because of the quality of life.

Becoming known as the site of a major ICE detention warehouse changes that, whether we like it or not.

And let's talk about the practical impacts.

Increased traffic, strain on emergency services, questions about water and infrastructure.

Who pays when local police or fire services are stretched?

Who bears the cost if something goes wrong?

The residents do.

But beyond logic, this is about something bigger.

Respect for local democracy.

Even if federal law limits what the city can legally block, that does not mean we are powerless.

Leadership means fighting for your residents, not shrugging and saying there's nothing we can do.

We deserve transparency.

We deserve oversight.

We deserve to have our concerns taken seriously before decisions of this magnitude are made.

The community was not consulted.

It was sidelined.

And I'm asking you to stand with us.

Demand answers, demand accountability.

Use every legal and political tool available to protect the city and the people who call it home.

Because Surprise is not just a warehouse site on a federal spreadsheet.

It's our home.

Thank you for your time.

And also I want to thank the local police for um who have supported our peaceful protests.

Yes.

Good evening.

To the city council members of Surprise and to the attendees listening tonight, good evening.

My name is Natalie Lopez.

I am a Goodyear resident, and I've lived in the West Valley for most of my life now.

I was born in the United States, but my family is from Sinaloa, Mexico, and I carry that heritage in my heart with honor and pride.

I'm here to stand in solidarity with the many people who are voicing their disapproval of the idea of bringing an ICE facility to the city.

I come to surprise on a regular basis, and I visit many businesses here.

Like many others who I'm sure have been excited about the growth happening here, such as the expansion of new restaurants, retail, and housing.

I'm disgusted that such a threat to human safety and dignity like ICE is coming to continue its reign of terror here.

The momentum that West Valley has is being overshadowed by this horrific news.

I've grown up bearing witness to the countless attempts to target my community.

Joe Arpaio's malicious tactics, Jan Brewer signing SB 1070 with a smug smile on her face.

My undergrad classmates celebrating Donald Trump's win in 2016 while the community right outside on 33rd Avenue Camelbeck worried about what this meant going forward.

And today I'm still here and I'm exhausted.

It's clear to me that it does not matter whether you came to this country the right way.

It does not matter that you have an honest job.

It does not matter that you have a clean record.

And at this point, I don't even think it matters to check whether you are a citizen or not.

The Department of Homeland Security has made it clear that they are willing to break the law and meet their to meet their quotas and will attack you if you stand in their way.

Is this the behavior you will allow to operate in your city?

Your city counselor, um council, the attorney general, and several U.S.

reps have requested a statement from DHS to address the purpose of this facility.

And we've received one back from Christy Noam.

She's confirmed that she didn't care to consult with you or the county before making this purchase, and that they will do as they please.

Christy Noam claims that this facility will be a three to seven-day processing site, that the detainees will have access to medical care and a safe safe and secure environment.

But how are we supposed to have confidence in that when there's documented evidence of ICE attacking and killing people on the streets?

Countless reports of unsanitary conditions, crowded spaces, denial of medical care for days on end inside the facilities that already exist.

I think of examples like Renee Good, Alex Predi, Nurula Min Shaalam, Viera Reyes, Dr.

Linda Davis, Alberto Gutierrez, and Marie Mar Martinez.

You have a responsibility as leaders of our community to say that this response is simply not good enough.

You have a responsibility to seek the necessary course of action to maintain that ICE is breaking the law and that you will not support them attacking your community.

I beg you to work with the county, with our state legislators, impose an ordinance, something to limit their activity on county and or city-owned property.

Require agents to identify themselves and unmask themselves.

Take the steps to protect your residents.

People are filling up your streets on Bell Road and Civic Center Drive every Saturday morning to say that they're not okay with bringing ICE here.

Those organizations like Gwente and Lucha at the state capitol teaching people how to protect themselves from ICE.

Northwest Valley Indivisible has been very active in organizing against what is happening in Surprise, and we are asking you to stand with us.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Hold on one second, sir.

Miss Ma'am, did you want to go first?

You have school tomorrow.

You can go ahead.

Sorry.

For the record, my name is Callie Overs, and I live on uh Bullard and Cactus.

Good evening once again, Mayor and Council members.

This past week I had the opportunity to make meet the mayor and council member Nick Haney at the Surprise Youth Council uh team summit.

At this event, you guys spoke on the importance of the youth and the difference it can make.

We are the ones who are going to shape not just this town but the country and the future, which is why I'm here for the third time to make a change.

Following the summit, I sent an email to request a meeting with the mayor, the council members, me, and the student body president of my school.

Although we have not received a response back, we are still hopeful for this meeting to go through and be able to discuss how our city leadership will protect students and their rights, along with facilitating communication with the school district.

Mayor, if it is true that you are the safety coordinator of my school district, students want and deserve a public statement of how this council and district will uphold these student the students' rights.

I've emailed my principal for a public statement and questions on student security.

All of it was completely dismissed in her response back.

When people elected you guys into these positions, we expected you to serve the people.

The issue I will be addressing is proposed federal legislation to establish a three-mile buffer zone nationwide so that ICE detention centers cannot be located in a three-mile radius of any K through 12 schools.

I've started a petition on change.org to show our state officials that their constituents are united in this concern and in support of this federal legislation.

But you can find them, or you can find the petition on Facebook groups and um some Reddit groups as well.

And to the community members who support this purchase, I respectfully ask when policies directly affect students.

Are you evaluating them through the lens of politics and ideologies?

Or are you through the lens of the civic responsibility to keep children safe?

Because protecting the youth should never be optional.

It's a civic obligation.

And I hope that as a city we choose empathy.

Thank you.

Thank you, Mayor.

Thank you, City Council.

My name is Brent Peake.

I am with Northwest Valley Indivisible.

I had prepared comments for tonight, and honestly, everybody has made every point I was gonna make.

So I'm gonna take the opportunity just to make a couple quick points and then share a very heartfelt thank you to some city employees that I am extremely fond of.

First off, uh Callie got your email today.

Um y'all will be able to find her petition at Northwest Valley Indivisible.org by this time tomorrow.

Um and also on social media uh at our at our on Facebook and Instagram.

Um also um I want to mention that just a few days ago we launched uh a petition uh urging you all to oppose to come out and formally oppose the ICE facility.

You can scan that.

So you go to the petition there.

And uh we've already got about 1,200 signatures on it.

The greatest concentration of them are from surprise.

We are accepting signatures uh from across the state because this is a state issue.

Uh that ICE facility will become a hub, uh, an intake hub uh for this region for this state, and when it opens, it will facilitate a dramatic and potentially violent increase in ICE activity in this state, and that concerns everybody here.

Um also um I'm pretty sure that most of y'all don't want the headache of this ICE facility in town.

And so our our my request is simple.

Uh if you don't want it here, just come out and say so.

If you're looking for political cover, you got it.

Um the the community is behind you.

You by my count, you've had a grand total of eight residents that have taken the time to come up here and tell you that they do want it here.

Um I'll let y'all do the math on that.

Um, I also want to point out uh that my dear friend Lisa Everett, who just happens to be a Republican, um, has uh gotten word from Eloy Detention Center uh that they had over 200 emergency medical calls last year.

That is a I'll put this in quotes stable facility.

Uh an intake original intake hub is not going to be a stable facility.

And I would anticipate that there are going to be many more emergency medical calls coming from there.

Here's what I actually want to use my time for.

You guys have the best police department in the state.

No doubt in my mind.

Um put it down in the record that three of my heroes are uh Jesse Galaz, Tyler Johnson, and Jamie Rothschild.

Are they in the room?

Oh, I wish they were in the room.

Um they have been amazing at not just supporting our rights uh to be able to exercise free speech here in the city, but to balance that with the rights of property owners and and passers by and other people.

And I know they don't have an easy job, and I'm pretty sure that I don't know half of what goes into them being able to support us when we're protesting.

Uh, but we are extremely grateful.

Uh I I consider those three men to be friends.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Good evening, ma'am.

Hello, my name's Maureen Mandel, and I live in uh Sun City West.

I don't know if that's really surprised, but it's close enough.

I first of all want to thank you for the opportunity to voice our uh uh opinions and ideas in this format.

I wrote a speech, but I really feel like a lot of the people have mentioned everything that I would already have said.

But I want to remind you all that ICE, as it is currently organized, is acting illegally.

It is causing deaths, unnecessary deaths, and then calling the peaceful protesters terrorist.

I am a protester.

I have been out on the street in surprise many, many Saturdays because I feel strongly that we need to stop this kind of immigration immigration enforcement.

I do believe that people have a right to due process.

And we need, as a country, as a state, and as a municipality, we need to protect people's rights.

Even if they are illegal immigrants, they have rights.

And we as a people and you as the leadership of surprise need to take a stand against the illegal actions of ICE as it is now being active.

The other thing I would like to say is the people behind me that have come up and spoken.

I want to thank all of you for being here for taking the time to care about your community because I care about my community at every level.

City, state, and country.

And I do believe we are in grave danger of losing our democracy.

And our democracy without support from the people will not exist.

And that includes the leadership of this city.

I have out been out to protest many times.

Not just now.

I've been to Washington, D.C., I've been to my uh downtown Phoenix, I've been at state capitals.

And I believe in protest making a difference.

I'll tell you the sign that I'm most revere about protesting.

I protest because it's much easier than hiding somebody in an attic.

Thank you, ma'am.

Madam Clerk, can you read couple more names, please?

Yes, please.

The next five, Ed Forsman, Anthony Robinson, Erica Williams, Krista Schwager Torres, and Diane Eden Giordano.

Thank you.

Good evening, ma'am.

Hello, my name's Catherine Saberhagen.

I live in Phoenix, Arizona.

This is my second visit to the City of Surprise to let you know my feelings about this ICE detention facility.

Because immigration violations are labeled civil offenses, people held in ICE concentration camps are stripped of many of the normal constitutional protections that apply to people in criminal incarceration.

This has created a legal black hole that ICE and the Trump regime exploit, where indefinite imprisonment, abuse, medical neglect flourish with little to no oversight or accountability.

Much like Guantanamo Bay, people held in these facilities have no right to standard legal processes.

The difference between this situation and that is that 75% of the people being confined in these ICE detention facilities have completed complete committed no crimes and have injured no one.

And that is by DHS's own admitted data.

If you think this kind of process will be limited to those that some find undesirable, offensive, or deserving, what will prevent this kind of treatment from being foisted upon any of us?

DHS and ICE have already shown that they have no respect for or intention of following established law.

Each time we allow our rights to be eroded, it makes it easier to take the next step.

People draw an analogy to Nazi Germany for good reason.

These kinds of changes happen slowly until one day you awaken and realize you have no rights and you are the target.

The Patriot Act was capit was a capitulation that ushered in authoritarian laws and depleted our rights.

We should have questioned more seriously the downstream effects that would create that that would create.

Today we have the opportunity to think about and stop this malignant growth from taking root in surprise.

We should question the need for this type of abomination to be established here or anywhere.

Ice today, ICE is holding over 70,000 people in 225 concentration camps across the United States.

Trump, Holman, Miller, and Gnome hope to quadruple that number in the coming months.

And one such hellhole is they want to establish right here in surprise.

Your family gatherings and dinner time conversations will be tainted with talk about sirens, armed guards, and ambulances.

Your taxes will increase to pay for required infrastructure that will not benefit you but will benefit this defension facility.

Your home values are drop.

People will find you'll find people moving away because they and they can't sell their homes.

Thank you, ma'am.

This does not belong here in Arizona or in supply.

Good evening.

Good evening.

I don't live in surprise, but I feel like I live in surprise because everything I do is in surprise.

I live in Buckeye.

So right up here at the end of Sun Valley Parkway.

And to mention about the delays, I will say 11 hours.

Sun Valley Parkway was closed to the residents there.

If we had an emergency, we were screwed, to say the least.

Anyway, I would like to say I'm 73 years old.

I've gone through a lot of protests in my life.

And this is probably the most important one we've ever had.

I'd like to give you some statistics.

I haven't heard a lot of that stated here.

In the year 2023, the warehouse they have purchased was valued at 11.75.75 million dollars.

Ice purchase was 70.04 million.

That's a 496% markup over value.

I'm sure it increased in value in those three years.

I have not seen the buyer or the sale price on the county assessor website yet.

It's not posted.

Not the date of the sale, not the amount.

Not posted.

Estimated local tax loss per year is 341,000.2.

That would be taxes loss.

Estimated operational cost per year is 109.5 million.

Estimated water and sewage consumption per capita per day, including a 10% allowance for staff, is 200.5,000 gallons of water into the facility daily, and 194.5,000 gallons of sewage out per day.

How are they going to handle that infrastructure?

One of the concerns I believe the city and the attorney general have is that this is a high stress water basin and would cause a severe strain on utilities and lack of that hundred-year supply of water.

And with all the development they're talking about, how is that going to work out?

What the city is going to do.

What is the city going to do to supply adequate water to the site?

How will the sewage be handled?

Will the county or the city pick up the tab for that, or will the taxpayers and the county or the state pick it up?

I have much more to say.9 miles.

I do not want to see these kids be abused like they were in Minneapolis.

And that's what we're looking at.

We are going to lose all the business we have in surprise.

Thank you for your time.

All right.

Good evening, Mayor Sarder and Council.

My name is Krista Schwager Torres, Madam Clerk.

I am from Anthem.

My uh cross streets are Daisy Mountain Drive and Lytham Way.

Um, I'm an anthem now, but I have spent most of my life as a Phoenix Westsider over 40 years.

I won't tell you how many more than 40.

Um, as an Arizona public school educator, a public servant, and a U.S.

Navy veteran who chose to return to Arizona.

Today I'm here to raise my concern about the new DHS facility at Sweetwater.

I am not going to question your humanity.

I'm gonna give you credit where I feel credit is due for your service as as public servants and with good records and with good hearts.

Um, but I am going to suggest respectfully a way forward that will assert the voice of surprise in this forced partnership with DHS.

First, um, I am urging you to put measures in place now to protect the positive reputation of our local police, pass ordinances prohibiting the use of city employees, city vehicles, and city equipment to assist federal agents in their operations.

When residents see that that beautiful logo of surprise, they should only feel pride.

They should not feel disgust, they should never feel fear, only pride.

I'm asking you to consider passing measures that prohibit local police from sharing databases with federal agencies.

Police work for years to develop positive community relationships.

My son was in the surprise police explorers.

Um, a wonderful, wonderful experience.

Community trust and policing is rare in many communities.

It's a standard in surprise.

It's just the way you do things here.

Um, and I don't want to disparage anybody or ever associate them with something that's anything less than positive.

Secondly, I'm urging you to slow the process down of not opening the facility so the council can have more control over the community impact and perhaps even the purpose of the facility.

Strategically lengthen the planning timeline so that the federal government is forced to partner with our city.

Be slow to offer non-essential municipal resources, drag your feet a little bit when you enter into IGAs or contracts that provide services such as water, sewage, trash pickup.

Um Prize has worked really hard to earn the designation of assured water supply, protect us hard work in your smart stewardship.

Slow the infrastructure expansion.

Councilman Haney doesn't need any more transportation projects.

He's got his hands full.

Um, and also, Councilman Haney, you like to say that progress is no reason to pause.

With this DHS facility, what I'm saying is pause so that we can maintain our progress.

Drag your feet, partner as you can come back from DC with information you need.

Um, and thank you again for your service.

And I'm going to say thank you in advance for your leadership and for navigating all of us through this uh this bit of time is gonna be very choppy waters.

Thank you.

Mr.

Mayor, Council members, my name is Diane Eden Giordano.

The location is Reims and Grand.

You've heard much of what I was gonna say, so I'm just going to add a couple of things.

The U.S.

needs a fair and legal immigration system, not a secret police force.

Besides targeting reported immigrant criminal acts, all needing arrests.

Also, there is a need to face the reality of all criminals.

Many who are U.S.

citizens involved in the same violent crimes.

And they all need to be arrested for the violence, the rape, the trafficking, the drugs.

Think Epstein.

The planned ICE detention center has brought a lot of fear.

ICE has proven to be violence as witnessed in numerous communities across the country.

The facilities visited show there is widespread poor and negligent conditions in treatment and care, plus all the numerous 911 calls for emergency services.

There have been deaths to protesters.

And one was reported last week that had been covered up for months.

So that tells you something.

Other cities are proactively engaging in steps to prevent what can be done to prevent the ICE violence.

One example is the Denver mayor who was signed a 60-plus page executive order covering what can be done to protect his constituents.

ICE is proven to be violent.

Who are behind the ice mask?

Are they also convicted criminals and felons?

Reports advise the training is lacking.

There's no trust for the proper vetting.

There's a case today where a judge has ordered ICE and DHS to show up in court for violation of court orders, for lying to the courts, for stealing property, and excessive violence.

Trust is being destroyed.

This has all been presented, and I'm asking you again, please engage.

Thank you.

One second.

One second, ma'am.

Madam Clerk.

Thank you.

Next five, Richard Mellick, Joan Dahmer, Walter Thorndike, Raz Melling DeRocher, and Cynthia Pop.

Sir, you can stay seated and we'll I'll let you up next.

Thank you.

Go ahead, ma'am.

Good evening.

Good evening, Mayor and Council.

Um, so you're asking us to trust an administration that has lied to the American people time and time again.

They lied so many times that three minutes simply isn't enough time to go over each and every lie.

We'd be here for another year and a half.

So I'll just speak directly to you.

All right.

We know per DHS's economic impact analysis, this facility will create 1,400 jobs during its construction and generate about $16 million in annual tax revenue as long as it's in operation.

I want to ask you all questions here.

Is $16 million a year worth children being fed inedible food due to worms, maggots, and other bugs being in it, resulting in Sigma Noor children?

Is $16 million a year worth children's mental health?

At Dilly Detention Center in Texas, the lights are left on 24 7, depriving thousands of children of much needed rest, impairing their ability to be aware and to judge.

Is $16 million a year worth children being held prisoner due to no fault of their own?

It is an injustice and a failure of our society when a child asks their mom, what did I do wrong?

Why am I being held prisoner?

Mr.

Mayor and Counsel.

Look at me.

Mr.

Mayor and Counsel, I am sure y'all know the quote.

An injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

But do you also know that Martin Luther King Jr.

wrote history will have to record that the greatest tragedy of this period of social transition was not the strident clamor of the bad people, but the appalling silence of the good people.

Tell us, the people that voted for you and who you want to vote for you again, that you will not sign a 287G agreement.

You know what that is.

Don't sign it.

Our police will not work with ICE in any capacity.

Tell us you will fight for us, your constituents, and do everything you can to ensure the that the construction does not go through.

Do not be silent.

Please be appalled, not appalling.

Take a stand and publicly condemn this concentration camp and fight like hell to prevent the Trump administration from turning our neighborhoods, our streets, our city into a war zone.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Go ahead, sir.

Uh my name is Ed Forsman, and I live at the Cross Streets, 43rd Avenue and Union Hills.

And as Donald Trump would say, thank you for your attention to this matter.

It's widely understood within ICE that President Trump will grant pardons to any agent who goes beyond the boundaries of normal law enforcement.

This includes murder.

ICE agents understand the power of being pardoned for whatever choices they make.

And they act accordingly.

Customs and border protection has long known of the existence of what they call an alternative narrative rapid response team.

What that team does is that it immediately responds to any situation that might look bad for the agency, and it creates alternative narratives.

Or she was just resisting arrest for a rape victim that comes to the attention of the public.

Sometimes weapons or other evidence have been known to be planted on innocent victims.

High-speed automobile chases through previously quiet neighborhoods have already become the norm in jurisdictions in which ICE has been deployed.

Cities experiencing ice sweeps have experienced multiple high-speed pursuits that have resulted in serious injuries, inflicting damage to innocent bystanders and injuries, including the totaling of their vehicles, which are left abandoned for somebody else to clean up.

This is now a fact of life in metropolitan areas where ice has been deployed, and it should be prepared for here in surprise.

History has taught us that the members of the Ku Klux Klan wore masks, and it was done for a reason, Mr.

Hastings.

It was done for a reason.

If neighbors, family members or others, members of the community knew the identity of a clan member, they would be ashamed of them for their cowardice and cruelty.

I urge the city to consider drafting city ordinances that prohibits the making of any law enforcement agent operating within the city's jurisdiction to be maskless, easily identified, and since it's going to be a burden on emergency vehicles and responders.

The city ought to tax.

Thank you, sir.

The owner of the property.

Captain, go ahead.

Thank you.

Good evening, sir.

Good evening, good evening, uh council members.

And uh it's a really joy to be here in front of you today.

Uh I'm must confess, I if I could have written a speech that all you heard tonight, it would it would be everything that I am thinking of.

These people have done wonderful eloquent thought processing about how they feel, their passion about it, and it's very important.

And I talk about passion.

I serve my country in Vietnam.

Uh this month I'm 82 years old, and I've got one fight left, and that's to fight for my country, for my city, and for those people that I hold dear.

And this process of ICE is not going to go through, period.

Now, you hear people say things and come theoretically complain or what have you.

But one of the things that I'm trying to present to you tonight is what can we do for you?

Every one of you.

And so I'm my comment is have you focused in on the freedom of information.

If you have, have you submit submitted anything?

For instance, the it's required to have an environmental study done on the surrounding activities where these facilities are going.

National requirement.

And we've heard speakers talk about across the street, is chemical and that kind of stuff.

Is that going to play well with that study?

And who reviews that?

I'm thinking it's going to be you all.

And of course, we've talked about water.

Water is a precious commodity for Arizona and one for this city.

And the reality is we need to use it wisely.

I was sitting in the back room since five o'clock, and I noticed that the development groups were coming in and they were talking.

I'm sure that they had to submit how much water was going to be used for those process.

Well, I have no idea, to be honest with you, how much water is it has to run through these issues.

So I leave you with this thought.

And you say, oh God, do we have the money to do that?

Well, go to the county.

Go to the state.

And what I'm going to do for you, or I'm going to attempt to do for you, is I'm going to find a very prominent lawyer in the state of Arizona that will participate pro bono to help you in that lawsuit.

Thank you, sir.

Thank you.

Thank you for your service.

Good evening.

My name is Ros Melling DeRoosher, and I've lived at Cactus in Reims for 22 years.

I've learned a lot in this last month since ICE announced that they bought the warehouse here in Surprise.

I've spoken with people from Minnesota dealing with current ICE procedures, and with people from Eloy, Arizona, who have had a detention center in their town since the 90s.

The biggest thing I've learned is just how much this is going to change our city forever.

And for the life of me, I cannot come up with even one positive change this will bring.

Can you?

You haven't mentioned one in your communication to the public.

There are so many negative aspects of this facility that you've listened to surprise residents discuss them for hours now on our third council meeting.

Fiscal reasons, public safety reasons, humanitarian reasons, tourism and public perception reasons, power and water demand reasons, all cons, no pros.

So why are you, our elected officials allowing it to happen to this city?

You sent a letter to DHS asking questions, and one of you refused to sign it.

You seem like you wanted to be a good partner with them.

Why?

How does this benefit the people you represent?

We need you to publicly oppose this.

We need you to insist on getting answers to your questions.

We need you to tell DHS we don't want them burdening our city.

We need you to demand oversight.

We need you to demand studies about the impact of this facility on our resources, our safety, and our traffic.

And then tell DHS you expect them to allocate funds for the city to help surprise prepare for the added police, fire, utilities, and other burdens like people being released into our city.

Give them a bill to operate here.

Why should these expenses be absorbed by the taxpayers of this city?

DHS DHS has tons of money.

Negotiate with them.

If this administration has taught us anything, it's that you don't have to do things the way that they've always been done.

You don't have to roll over on your backs and let this happen to surprise.

Please do something.

Since we're not protesting on Bell this Saturday morning or any until the 28th, I'd love to see the community come out and meet and discuss this with their reps personally.

All the times that you all are going to be available are posted on the surprise Facebook page.

I know that there is an opportunity to meet with council members Duffy Hastings and Judd from Districts 35 and 6 at Total Wine and Moore this Saturday at 9 a.m.

I appreciate the city council for giving us the opportunity for residents to ask face-to-face why this council is not stopping this from happening to our city when there are no benefits to the city's residents.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Madam Clerk, can you read some more names, please?

Thank you, Mayor.

Next, hi Voorheath, Tayla Walsham, Alyssa Carrillo, Tina Molica, Heather Grab I Mendez.

Thank you.

Good evening, ma'am.

Good evening.

I'm Cynthia Fox.

I live in the Grand.

Ready?

Go ahead.

I'm Cynthia Fox.

I live in the Grand, and uh I know it's getting late.

I'm starting to see some pretty heavy eyelids up here.

So I'll try to make it short and sweet.

Um I like to have a plan B.

You never know what's gonna happen.

So tonight I want to put a spin on this and ask you some questions.

Um it breaks my heart that you can't ever answer them up here, but uh so be it.

All right, in your wildest imagination, imagine that this detention center goes through.

We hear people will only be in it for three to seven days, but we also hear that in Eloy, people average 47 days.

So there they are, 47 days with no contact with their family or anyone else.

Um, I'm I'm not gonna talk about all the great topics everyone else has covered.

You know, you must know by now how horrible the medical, both physical and mental care is at Eloy.

Um but anyway, so whether it's seven days or 47 days, these are my questions for you.

What happened when these people are released?

What happened?

We've seen videos where all throughout the country they're just kind of they open the door and off they go.

Well, typically they are released without any food, any money, any water, any phone ID, transportation.

Whose responsibility do they become at that point?

Once they're released, federal government says, we're done with you.

Is there a coordinated plan that you have?

Are local nonprofits prepared for this?

Are our shelters prepared?

Are our hospitals and first responders ready?

I'm not talking about the emergencies in the detention center.

I'm talking about as people are exiting the building.

Or will our city sit very quietly and absorb the cost?

And in actuality, increase the number of homeless we have here.

Those are the kinds of questions you need to figure out before this facility potentially opens, not after.

How many individuals will be released locally each month?

What's the discharge plan?

What funding accompanies those releases?

And who's accountable if there's a medical issue within a few days of when they're released?

Thank you.

Thank you.

Good evening, sir.

Walter Thorndike, I'm a Phoenix resident.

The Department of Homeland Security says that they're going after the worst of the worst, but they are not.

So when DHS describes their detention facilities as quote, safe, secure, and humane, end quote, a lot of people think, well, they are obviously not.

Ask the people who build our homes whether they felt safe and secure in ICE detention.

Ask the people who work our farms whether their loved ones were treated humanely by federal agents.

What would they say?

Their answers might explain why ordinary people would come to a city council meeting to talk about federal immigration policy on a Tuesday night.

And it's not because this is fun or convenient.

This is an act of faith by people who have already lost trust in federal agencies and in state legislatures and in elections and in the media.

It's a long list.

But everyone who issues a public comment tonight, no matter what side they're on, believes in local government.

Everyone believes at some level that coming here and talking to you will do some good.

And that trust, that public trust is precious, and it is fragile.

And it is for you as leaders to be worthy of the faith that people place in you and in this process of civic engagement.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Good evening, sir.

Hello.

My name is Colby Voorhees.

I'm a surprise resident since 2020 and live near Bullard and Peoria.

Uh before I get to my comments, I wanted to echo the thanks to our first responders.

And that your contribution in enabling all of our community goals and aspirations.

So thank you.

Immigration's a tough thing.

It's been a hot potato for 40 years.

And so I don't come with the expectation that you're gonna fix that.

Uh, but you are the stewards of our city and our representatives and what we stand for as a city.

Uh and that's one of the best, I think, in the state, and hope it continues to be that way, not only in what we have today, but what our potential is for the future.

Early in my career, I served as a deputy sheriff, and I went through law enforcement training academy, and the things that they taught us were the law, the use of force, along with many other topics to foster public trust to serve and protect.

And that extends to this group as well.

Law enforcement, fire, and even most city services are not predicated on citizenship.

It's residency.

It's being in the area.

Our constitution declares all persons, not citizens, but all persons granted the rights and protections from unreasonable search and seizure seizure, the right to due process and equal protection.

Remember the story we heard a few weeks ago from the gentleman who just spoke about Ordal Germany and that town after the end of the war.

To stay silent, to fail to act puts us in the same camp.

This city cannot be passive to the well-documented and repeated constitutional violations by ICE.

It will tear the fabric of our city.

And you've heard others say it tonight.

There will be violence in our streets, devalued real estate, both commercial, residential, and palpable fear in our communities.

We hold all of our public servants to higher standards.

They're recognizable, they're professional, they're courteous.

Why would we not have the same expectation for any federal agency in our city?

Council members, I joined the growing voice for all of you to speak up and to speak out.

You have power.

You represent your constituents.

I ask you to do so.

Mayor, I ask you not to cooperate, but to oppose this, to stand against it and the impact it will have on our city.

You heard the quote earlier: the only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men and women to do nothing.

So I ask you to speak out.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Good evening, ma'am.

Good evening.

My name is Tina Malica, and I'm a cross-street server, Bulladern Cactus.

I am speaking again tonight in opposition of the future ICE detention facility that will be two and a half miles from my home in Marley Park.

Representative Gosar recently requested some answers from Secretary No.

And fortunately, her response was full of lies and inaccurate statements.

She stated several times that ICE is committed to safe, secure, humane environments, required to abide by national detention standards, will have fully staffed medical units, reimbursed local partners for medical care and services provided.

Yet multiple reports have shown that there's medical neglect, denial of disability accommodations, violence, abuse, inadequate food and water, crowded conditions, and denied access to due process and counsel.

She also stated in the letter that ICE supports congressional requests to visit detention facilities and other ICE facilities around the country.

Yet we've all seen the congressmen who have been denied access to their local detention centers or made to wait days before they're allowed to actually get in.

So for every person who Ms.

Spillers continues to name, every immigrant who she continues to name, we could give you five names of U.S.

citizens who have committed those violent crimes as well.

So I'm here again for the third time to ask you, as a mother, as a resident, to do something to prevent this facility from opening in our community.

Have you begun conducting any environmental traffic, public or infrastructure studies of your own?

Have you contacted A.G.

Mays to discuss the possibility of a public nuisance suit?

Are any of you aware of the Warnock Amendment?

Have you talked to any of your representatives about how that might help us here in surprise?

Would limit the use of funds appropriated to DHS for the acquisition, construction, renovation, or expansion of an ICE detention facility.

Warnock wrote it for Georgia, but I believe it could help us.

This morning, I signed the petition that the Dysart High School student started, was talking about, asking to create a three-mile buffer between ICE and K through 12 schools.

She's already got a meeting with Gozar and contact at Gallego and Kelly.

If a high school student can do this, what are you all doing?

I where am I at?

I want to also say that I appreciate your passion about the wildlife corridor, and I want to see that passion here with this facility.

And I look forward to continuing this conversation with Councilman Duffy, Judd, and Hastings Saturday at the Total Wine.

Thank you for your time.

Good evening, ma'am.

Hello.

My name is Heather Grubowski Mendez.

My cross streets are Reims and Waddell.

I've lived in surprise for nine years.

My husband has lived here for 25 years, and I absolutely hate speaking in public.

When I learned about the concentration camp that they're planning on opening, I was sick to my stomach.

There are no words that I can say in front of everybody that I won't get yelled at to convey how angry and repulsed I was and I am.

When I attended my first council meeting after the sale was announced, I kept telling myself to give counsel and the city the benefit of the doubt.

While I highly doubt there wasn't at least one person at City Hall who didn't at least have a suspicion of what was happening, if nothing was confirmed until the sale was announced, it might have been a shock to you.

It was a shock to me.

I'm pretty sure it was a shock to all of us.

I reminded myself that when you ran for your seats, it was on platform platforms of bringing new business, retail, and restaurants to surprise, and making sure our roads and infrastructure could handle all the new housing.

Fighting fascism probably didn't cross your minds when you decided to run.

So I kept telling myself to show you some grace because I don't believe you have an easy job.

And I wouldn't want it because I'd have to talk to everybody all the time.

When I attended the second council meeting, I was hoping for more information on how the city's underwhelming letter to DHS was composed, and any insight on how any of you may have personally felt about the situation.

I only heard the most basic and cliche political responses, such as you have no control over the situation, and you're still waiting on answers.

I really wish one of you had showed concern for the situation with at least a portion of the energy seen earlier tonight about the rezoning, which I'm not complaining about.

It was very interesting, and I'm glad you guys were asking questions about it.

I'm quite aware you can't stop DHS with your gavel, but you sure as hell can make it uncomfortable, inconvenient, and a pain for them to move forward.

Where is the required paperwork, meetings, and red tape that City Hall and politicians all over the US are known for?

Why are you not asking for help when we are all offering it?

If you have posted something online that you're asking citizens for help, I haven't seen it, and I apologize.

As many others before have said, this is not conservative or liberal issue.

It's an issue of what kind of human being are you?

Did you not learn how to treat others like you want to be treated and to help those who need it?

Are you that selfish and only care when it personally affects you?

For the record, pulling people off the street, pulling people from their homes and cars, and shooting people in the head is not only inhumane, it's illegal.

But the current administration has sanctioned a bunch of mask wearing, cosplaying wannabe rennet cops to run rampant through our streets and neighborhoods.

They commit murder on camera, and they're coming here.

My only question is will you find humanity when ICE finds a reason to knock on your door, or will you find it beforehand?

Good evening.

Good evening, everyone.

Um, my name is Alisa Curio.

My Kashits are Bell and Elm Raj Rodin, the original town site of Surprise.

I am a very proud Mexican American born and raised in Arizona.

My grandparents moved from Glendale to Surprise in 1958 before its incorporation in 1960.

And I am very happy to say that they are staple, they are a staple and founding family with strong roots in this city.

I would not be doing my duty if I did not speak here today.

He would bring migrant workers from Mexico, growing and harvesting crops.

At the end of the season, they would go home, different times and circumstances, but they worked side by side to provide for their families.

I carry my family's history with honor, and I proudly live in this city where my family came 68 years ago.

Surprise has expanded by many miles since 1958 by purchasing land from farmers, building housing developments with HOAs, warehouses for successful businesses, shopping centers, parks, and gas stations, all this to expand and make a beautiful city.

Why let it go down the drain?

Somewhere along the way, we forgot where we started or where we came from and what true community is.

Relying on your neighbors for companionship and community, that is the heart of surprise, and that is what we miss stay true to.

Taking care of your neighbors no matter their circumstances or origin, whether they look like you or me.

Growing up in surprise was a dream and continues to be a dream to so many.

As the days go by, I become fearful and anxious for my neighbors, our neighbors in the city of Al Mirage, my children, my family, and the city as a whole.

To be blatant, I'm afraid of being targeted for the color of my skin, which unfortunately in this country is not new, but is now amplified.

Allowing DHS to continue with their plan of using the purchase facility as a transfer post is unethical to humanity.

It's a threat to our community, the people who live here and our resources.

It will bring chaos and animosity.

This is not what we aspire for the city of surprise.

Please do not allow DHS to take away the dignity and integrity that so many families carry when they say they live in this city.

Do not let the people of the city you serve down.

Original town say or new, at her core, surprise is strong, beautiful because of the community, no matter how you got here.

This is our home.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Madam Clerk, please call a few more names.

Thank you.

I'm gonna call the last seven.

Casey Jones, Angelina Estrada, Brittany Bishop, Dorothy Minnesota, Kathy Noga, Lori Smith, and Jeff Smith.

Good evening.

Good evening, Council members.

My name is Kayla Washam.

I live in Surprise Farms.

I spoke here a month ago regarding my concerns about the ice attention facility.

And that month since I last spoke, a two-month-old Juan Nicholas was hospitalized with bronchitis after being detained for three weeks and almost lost his life after delayed medical intervention.

I also learned of 18-month-old Amalia whom went into severe respiratory failure and upon return to the detention facility was denied basic medical care.

There are many stories in those walls that have gone untold, some that will continue to go untold due to loss of life at the hands of DHS.

I've learned that children using coping skills such as drawing and writing to process the trauma they are experiencing or having their work ripped to shreds by detention officers.

We've heard of food, if it's even available, being contaminated and moldy, the water making people sick.

These families, much like families that reside in surprise, are being subjected to these conditions.

And why is that?

Why are families the ones being punished?

Because they wanted a fresh start?

Because they wanted to provide their children with the best possible outcomes and futures, because they wanted safety and stability in a country that preached about being a melting pot, that preached, give me your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free.

Just to turn around and throw them in cages without the dignity and respect that they deserve as human beings.

It is not lost on me as a first-time mom of a seven-month-old that I wouldn't do everything in my power to make sure she had every opportunity to thrive.

This facility will be no different than any other facility we've heard these horror stories about.

There will be families placed there, medical neglect, physical, emotional, and sexual abuse, death.

Think about if you would want your own families to live the trauma that we are that we hear coming out of Aloy or Dilly.

You all have the power to fight back against this detention facility.

This isn't the time to tuck your tails and whimper that there's nothing you can do.

Making surprise a sanctuary city is one way to work on fighting this.

And research I've completed states that sanctuary cities make cities safer, increase community trust, and offer fiscal benefits.

We can invoke the 10th Amendment.

We can put a ban on non-municipal detention facilities like Kansas and enforce local zoning power.

Do what is right.

Give us the reason to believe that you're not like every other politician in this political climate that only has their own interests in mind when that's not how our democracy works.

I appreciate the opportunity to speak, but I would be a lot more appreciative if you listen to what your constituents are saying in opposition of this detention center and doing something about it.

Thank you.

Good evening, sir.

My name's Casey Jones.

I live in um Arizona traditions.

Bell and Citrus Road.

Um, I want to thank you very much for the opportunity to be here.

Uh and I appreciate the parti police protection that I get when I go out on Saturdays and I demonstrate against ice.

Uh remarkable.

But I also want to thank you for listening to us so patiently.

You've I was here on February 3rd, which was my 82nd birthday.

And I was one of the speakers, but I saw the long list of other speakers that came after me and before me.

I don't know, what were there, 200 or so?

And you sat through a very long evening, I know.

And I know that you're doing so tonight.

And you don't have the opportunity to interchange with us or say what you're thinking.

But I appreciate the time and the courtesy that you've extended to us.

But I want to uh invite you to do something.

People have not heard from you as to what you plan to do.

And I know you're still gathering information.

You're probably hopefully consulting with attorneys.

And uh hopefully getting a set of responses from our federal government that are gonna tell you a little bit more about what they're planning.

But I'd like to invite you to set a meeting in the future and what an item on your agenda in the future where you could tell us what your plans are.

What are you thinking about how to mitigate the adverse impacts of the ICE detention center in our community?

And uh that's all I have to say.

Thank you again.

Thank you, sir.

Good evening.

Hello, my name's Angelina.

Um, I live on the crossroads, 127th in cactus.

Um, I just wanted to address this climate of lawlessness from the federal government, um, if and from specifically ICE.

Um, but I do want to I want to say that I'm not scared, and a lot of that comes from the fact that I've gathered the courage and strength from my community around me.

I've never been so connected to my community than I have been in the past few weeks.

Um, and I just want to like thank the people behind me, the people around me, because um without without these people behind me, I truly would have been afraid.

Um I want to also say that that's that fear, um, that fear that we may all have because of this ICE facility possibly coming to surprise is what's trying to be instilled within us.

But the power that we have as a community, as the people um behind me have instilled in me.

Um it is truly so remarkable in the ways that we've showed up.

And uh we uh sorry.

It's remarkable in the ways that we've showed up and we've made demands, and we're going to continue to make these demands from you guys to hold you guys accountable and to just continue on with the fight, and that's truly the only message that I wanted to get across today.

Um, so thank you.

Thank you.

Good evening.

Hi.

Mayor and council members, my name is Dorothy Minnesota.

My cross streets are 175th Avenue and Pinnacle Peak.

I'm a native Arizona.

I have lived in surprise for 15 years and was a teacher in the DICE Art Schools for 21 years.

I keep up on the news through independent news organizations as the national news stations are not being truthful.

Follow the money.

I am against having this detention center in surprise for many reasons.

One of which is that I understand what will happen to families in this community.

Just take a look at Minneapolis to see what it would be like.

It's a war zone there.

And our area has a much higher percentage of Hispanic and Latino families than Minneapolis does.

Let's face it.

ICE is not following the laws set by our constitution.

They are just picking up people for being brown.

They are using this building as a warehouse for profit, as the corporations running them are paid for every person that is picked up.

If they are picking up the worst of the worst, as they claim, then five-year-old Liam Ramos would not have spent any time in a detention facility.

DHS is not treating the people in these facilities properly by any standard.

They are not fed properly.

Medical conditions are ignored, and they are terrorized and treated inhumanely.

Is this what you want happening here?

Do you condone this sort of treatment?

Have you thought about how this camp will affect the hospitals here?

The traffic, the loss of tax revenue.

Will our police force be able to handle the volume of calls they will be getting?

As it is, we apparently don't have enough officers to handle spring training and our Saturday protests during the month of March.

And Mr.

Mayor, per your interview on Arizona Horizon, you want to be able to work with DHS on this.

You want this town to be supportive of the inhumane practices of this administration.

I am disgusted.

I know you wish this whole problem would just go away, but it's not going to unless you do something about it.

Pearl clutching isn't going to help us here.

We need you to take action.

The majority of people in surprise and surrounding areas are against this camp, and you need to listen to your constituents, or find yourself voted out next election.

You need to do everything you can to halt this camp from happening.

State that you are not supporting supportive of this building being used as a detention center.

Cut off the water, unhook the sewer, turn off the lights.

Bury them in forms and tie them up in court.

At the very least, pass a law that I must wear ID and are not allowed to wear a mask, or they will be arrested.

Pass a law that they must have a judicial warrant, not an administrative warrant.

That's basic law enforcement practice.

But you must do something.

Choosing to do nothing means you have chosen the side of the oppressor.

I fear that your trip to DC will be a waste of taxpay money, taxpayer money as no one wanted DHS wants or feels the need to talk to you.

They're just doing what they want.

Do not give in to their lawlessness, lawlessness.

So it's time for you to choose a side.

Are you supporting this administration with all their illegal humane practices?

Or are you part of the resistance?

Thank you.

County clerk, any other names?

Okay.

Do any of the council members have other business or future agenda items?

Hearing none, I'll go to oh, Councilman Judd.

Um I'd like to get an item on the agenda for uh our next meeting, probably work session from a community development.

We've got some new members on council here, newish at least.

And so I want to just have an education session on what it takes to for someone to run through a rezone process.

Second.

Any other business?

I'll do council reports.

Councilman Haney.

Uh I just want to, I know it's late, but I want to thank those of you that attended my community meeting at Happy Trails.

Uh, we had a great conversation.

Uh we went over the budget process, but uh those conversations are always very meaningful, so I appreciate you taking the time to do so.

Thanks, Mayor.

Vice Mayor.

Thanks, Mayor.

Um, I I don't know.

See Eric or well, I wanted to thank our transportation department because the whole transportation department came out to Grand Um and talked to about maybe 140 uh of our residents there on some of the issues that were uh their biggest concern.

And they did a marvelous job.

And so thanks to Eric and his staff.

And I don't see anybody here, but maybe they'll see the video.

That's all.

Thanks.

Councilman Duffy.

Thank you, Mayor.

So it's it's been said that we do have a meet and greet Saturday morning at nine at Total Wine.

So if you like to get there early, they don't open till nine.

So we usually will be standing out front.

But if you get there after us, if you go straight through the way they let you in, and it's straight to the back.

They have a conference room in the back.

So if you've never been there before, just head straight to the back, and then you'll find us back there.

Thank you.

Thank you.

Councilman Melton.

My next meeting is not till March 25th, which will be after the DC trip, but 25th in Sun Village.

Um, if you want to see me post-DC trip.

So that's all I got, Mayor.

Thank you.

Councilman Hastings.

Thank you, Mayor.

Yeah, it was great.

Um the Spark Surprise Economic Development put on an event training.

It was great to meet all the uh local business owners.

Um, small business owners who who do work and make our city run.