OPENPUBLICA · PUBLIC MEETING RECORD
Record of Proceedings

City of Surprise Regular City Council Meeting - June 3, 2026

City Council — Wednesday, June 3, 2026
BodySurprise, Arizona
SessionCity Council
DateWednesday, June 3, 2026
StatusFILED
Video Record
0:00 / 2:09:27

Transcript — Verbatim
4:43

Okay, but then you need to buy buttons.

6:10

All right, good good evening.

6:11

I like to call us City of Surprise regular city council meeting to order on Tuesday June 2nd.

6:18

Madam Clerk, if you could please call the role.

6:20

Well, one second.

6:22

We have the invocation.

6:27

Dear Heavenly Father, Lord, I just pray over this meeting tonight, Lord.

6:30

I pray for all of the people that work for the city.

6:32

Um that they just represent the public well and everybody that showed up tonight to voice their opinions or to state their cases, Lord, that we can just represent the people of surprise as a whole, Lord.

6:41

Um that everything is done in your name to glorify you, and that benefits everybody in the city for generations to come.

6:48

Thank you for everything that everybody in this room is doing.

6:50

In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

6:52

Thank you.

6:53

Madam Clerk, please call the role.

6:58

Hi, Smar Greenberg.

6:59

Here.

6:59

Councilman Haney.

7:00

Here.

7:01

Councilman Duffy.

7:02

Here.

7:02

Councilman Melton.

7:03

Present.

7:04

Councilman Hastings.

7:05

Councilman Jet.

7:07

Here.

7:07

Thank you, Mayor.

7:08

We have quorum.

7:09

Thank you.

7:09

Please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance.

8:05

So we're doing a community champion award with Jonathan Thornton.

8:10

Um, I'm gonna be super nice to him because he's a fifth degree black belt.

8:13

Um with over fifteen years of experience, but uh he's the owner of the uh legacy martial arts here in the city of surprise, and he goes above and beyond with his uh uh business, and he's taken kids really around the world to compete, kids from surprise around the world and have have competed uh internationally, right?

8:33

Yes, sir.

8:34

And um have done an incredible job, I think, uh epitomizing what a community champion is in the city of surprise.

8:40

So we want to bring him in here and thank him for all that he does for the city uh and give you an opportunity to to say a few words if you wouldn't mind.

8:46

Yes.

8:47

Okay.

8:47

So here let's give you this.

8:50

And then we want to take some I think yeah, you have more photographers over here.

9:06

Any more?

9:07

You want to bring your family up here too?

9:09

Uh sure.

9:10

All right.

9:10

You guys want to say some words and then we'll bring them up and more picture.

9:15

Hello.

9:16

Uh there.

9:17

Right.

9:17

Uh like to thank God for the opportunity that he has given me to be able to impact other people's lives.

9:23

Um thing for myself is just serving others is a huge thing, and uh, I want to make sure I give a hundred percent to everybody.

9:31

Um, and just be a positive role model in our community.

9:35

Uh the community we built inside of surprise has been so amazing, so um so supportive, and I think it's exactly what surprise represents, where you know, kids can come train, work hard, uh, and and push themselves and have a safe place to fail and grow and learn.

9:54

Uh, because that's how I see that, you know, for the future.

9:57

Uh in my life, my personal life, you know, I've failed plenty of times.

10:00

You know, I've failed plenty of times.

10:01

I failed more than I succeeded, and that's what's got me here, and so that's what try to push these kids to you know, not uh um learn the the value of hard work and and you get the most rewards when you work hard and you work with integrity and you give it your 100%.

10:17

So yes.

10:26

I want you guys to take one by yourself.

11:11

Mayor and council.

11:12

One item tonight.

11:13

We have our city librarian Ash is here to introduce this year's library car design contest winners.

Discussion Breakdown — Share of Meeting
Procedural█████████████████████████████████████████████54%
Immigration Detention█████████11%
Economic Development████████10%
Engineering And Infrastructure█████6%
Education Safety████5%
Community Engagement███4%
Public Safety███4%
Cannabis Regulation███3%
Arts And Culture█1%
Summary of Proceedings

City of Surprise Regular City Council Meeting - June 3, 2026

[Note: The meeting was called to order on Tuesday, June 2, 2026, but the assigned date for this summary is June 3, 2026 per source metadata. The transcript reflects a continuation into the early hours?]

The Surprise City Council met to recognize community members, approve routine items, and hear lengthy public comments opposing a proposed ICE detention facility and a neighboring chemical storage operation. The council unanimously approved a consent agenda, a youth scholarship program, an economic development partnership, and development agreements for road improvements.

Consent Calendar

  • The council approved six consent agenda items without discussion or pull.

Recognitions and Presentations

  • Community Champion Award: Jonathan Thornton, owner of Legacy Martial Arts, was honored for his work with youth in martial arts, taking children to international competitions.
  • Library Card Design Contest Winners: City Librarian Miss Ware announced the 2026 winners: adult category – Summer and Harper Nitz; teen – Nalisa Amato; youth – Alexis Duran; city librarian choice – Timothy Mullett; special edition for America 250 – Karina Lawrence. Over 250 entries were received. New cards will be available starting July 1, 2026, and all entries will be displayed at the Surprise Regional Library.

Public Hearing

  • Item 6 – Liquor License Application No. 397963: The applicant was not present; the city had received notification of a possible withdrawal. The council nonetheless proceeded and voted unanimously to recommend approval to the Arizona Department of Liquor Licenses and Control.

Discussion Items

  • Item 7 – Youth Scholarship Program: Seth Dyson presented recommendations from the education subcommittee. Ten students were awarded scholarships ranging from $1,000 to $5,000, paid directly to their accredited institutions. Recipients included Peyton Anthony, Jacob Garrett, Bastion Eubanks, Raul Livier, Gerald Gilkey, Claire Wilson, Christian Ibrahim, Leo Franco Ramirez, and McKenzie Mice. Councilman Hastings spoke in support of education investment. The council unanimously approved the recommended recipients and amounts.
  • Item 8 – Greater Phoenix Economic Council (GPEC) Agreement FY2027: Economic Development Director Janine Yorkovic and GPEC President/CEO Christine Mackey presented the partnership. The agreement, costing $84,690 on a per‑capita basis, provides regional marketing, research, and business attraction. Mackey highlighted the new “A New Way to City” branding campaign with 5.2 million social media interactions in its first 27 days. The city has seen a return of $64 per dollar invested, resulting in $242 million in consumer spending and 2,719 jobs. Council approved Resolution 2026‑86.
  • Item 9 – Norbella Development Agreement Amendment: Lloyd Abrams presented the first amendment to the Norbella development agreement to facilitate right‑of‑way acquisition for Jomax Road improvements. The developer must complete road improvements before issuing residential building permits, except for model homes. Council approved Resolution 2026‑56.
  • Item 10 – Property Acquisition for Jomax Road: In conjunction with the previous item, the council authorized acquisition of real property along Jomax Road by dedication, donation, purchase, exchange, or eminent domain. Council approved Resolution 2026‑32.

Public Comments

Seven residents spoke during call to the public on non‑agenda items, all expressing opposition to the proposed ICE detention facility and the Rinchem chemical storage facility located nearby. Key points:

  • Kayla Bishop criticized the council for ignoring residents and silencing public comment; she urged a town hall and stated that the lawsuit against ICE was initiated by a resident, not the council.
  • Jennifer McCann called on the council to fight the facility on moral, safety, and fiscal grounds, citing scripture and pledging to attend every meeting.
  • Anne Bentheim shared her family’s history fleeing Nazi Germany and drew parallels to the danger of a chemical release when detainees are unable to evacuate.
  • Taylor Bone referenced an investigative report by Project Salt Box detailing that Rinchem stores hazardous chemicals such as hydrogen chloride; a valve failure could release 20,000 pounds every 10 minutes, creating a toxic cloud affecting 74,000 residents and a dozen schools. She urged the council to hold a public discussion.
  • Allie Overs questioned the lack of emergency plans and called on residents to run for school board, criticizing a candidate.
  • Alex Chris stated that the Attorney General’s lawsuit is against DHS, not the chemical facility, and called the lawsuit frivolous; he urged voter registration.
  • Natalie Bautista recounted a recent ICE detention in Tempe and demanded safety plans from the city and school district before her military deployment.

Key Outcomes

  • Unanimous approval of consent agenda, liquor license recommendation, youth scholarships, GPEC agreement, and two development/road agreements.
  • No council discussion or action taken on the ICE detention facility or chemical storage concerns raised during public comments. The meeting adjourned without further remarks on those topics.

Meeting Transcript

Okay, but then you need to buy buttons. All right, good good evening. I like to call us City of Surprise regular city council meeting to order on Tuesday June 2nd. Madam Clerk, if you could please call the role. Well, one second. We have the invocation. Dear Heavenly Father, Lord, I just pray over this meeting tonight, Lord. I pray for all of the people that work for the city. Um that they just represent the public well and everybody that showed up tonight to voice their opinions or to state their cases, Lord, that we can just represent the people of surprise as a whole, Lord. Um that everything is done in your name to glorify you, and that benefits everybody in the city for generations to come. Thank you for everything that everybody in this room is doing. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen. Thank you. Madam Clerk, please call the role. Hi, Smar Greenberg. Here. Councilman Haney. Here. Councilman Duffy. Here. Councilman Melton. Present. Councilman Hastings. Councilman Jet. Here. Thank you, Mayor. We have quorum. Thank you. Please join me in the Pledge of Allegiance. So we're doing a community champion award with Jonathan Thornton. Um, I'm gonna be super nice to him because he's a fifth degree black belt. Um with over fifteen years of experience, but uh he's the owner of the uh legacy martial arts here in the city of surprise, and he goes above and beyond with his uh uh business, and he's taken kids really around the world to compete, kids from surprise around the world and have have competed uh internationally, right? Yes, sir. And um have done an incredible job, I think, uh epitomizing what a community champion is in the city of surprise. So we want to bring him in here and thank him for all that he does for the city uh and give you an opportunity to to say a few words if you wouldn't mind. Yes. Okay. So here let's give you this. And then we want to take some I think yeah, you have more photographers over here. Any more? You want to bring your family up here too? Uh sure. All right. You guys want to say some words and then we'll bring them up and more picture. Hello. Uh there. Right. Uh like to thank God for the opportunity that he has given me to be able to impact other people's lives. Um thing for myself is just serving others is a huge thing, and uh, I want to make sure I give a hundred percent to everybody. Um, and just be a positive role model in our community.

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