Surprise, Arizona City Council Meeting – 2026-11-03

The Surprise, Arizona, City Council met on 2026-11-03 (the mayor's opening says "Monday, November 2nd"; the supplied meeting timestamp is 2026-11-03 00:58:10 UTC). Mayor Kevin Sarder (as transcribed) presided; Councilmembers Duffy, Melton, Hastings, and Jed were present, and Councilman Haney was excused. The meeting included an invocation, Special Olympics recognition, a fraud-awareness proclamation, a new fire chief's oath, consent-agenda approval, board/commission appointments, public comment, and adjournment to executive session.

Consent Calendar

• A nine-item consent agenda was presented. No council member pulled an item for discussion. A motion by the Vice Mayor, seconded by Councilman Duffy, passed.

Public Comments & Testimony

• Jeffrey August (Whitman resident) opposed annexation and the rural residential overlay, saying the overlay "still keeps Surprise in charge" and gives Whitman no voice. He said Whitman residents want incorporation, not annexation, citing 871 notarized letters opposing annexation, an August 2022 incorporation petition total he gave as "933, 993" as transcribed, and 738 signatures in an October 2026 drive. He said the group has pre-filed with the county, will file on January 28, and is "done talking."
• Sharon Acratelli supported incorporation, saying Whitman is working with the Arizona League of Cities and Towns and wants to control its own zoning, especially regarding industrial development near 231st Avenue. She said she does not believe Surprise's overlay plan will help.
• Elizabeth Oldham said she has opposed Surprise annexing Whitman since the 1990s and hand-carried almost 1,000 signatures against the 2020 general plan. She argued Whitman has had no say for 20+ years, criticized the city's infrastructure planning, referenced 18,000 to 22,000 future truck trips through the 163rd/Grand/303 intersection, and said the city is "20 to 30 years behind" on infrastructure. She also criticized past Mayor Schaefer's BNSF promises and asked that Whitman be allowed to govern itself.
• William Buckingham complained that public records requests made since April 7 for records about a taxpayer-funded Washington, D.C., trip to meet with ICE and DHS had not been fulfilled despite three requests. He accused the council of hiding information and violating Arizona open-meetings law, said the mayor stated in mid-April the city would not consider litigation supporting the state of Arizona, and cited diminished-property-value litigation in Romulus, Michigan, as a successful model. He said he had talked to the ombudsman and would go to the ACLU or sue.
• Stephen Isles said he came to thank the city rather than complain. He thanked the city for delivering bottled water during a recent Liberty Water equipment/boil-water incident, saying the tap water made him, his wife, and his dog sick. He also thanked the council for communicating on ICE and chemical storage issues, contrasted that with the attorney general ("Chris Mays" as transcribed), and thanked firefighters for help with smoke detectors.
• Alex Christ praised the constitutional right to address leaders, encouraged everyone to vote in the next day's election, thanked veterans, congratulated Chief Spurlong, and said socialists and communists should be stopped because their ideas are incompatible with the Constitution.

Proclamations and City Manager Reports

• Mayor Kevin Sarder proclaimed the week of November 15–21 as International Fraud Awareness Week, established by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners in 2000. A representative of the City Auditor's Office encouraged employees to "pause, verify, or ask a question" to protect public resources.
• Megan Gladio, adaptive recreation coordinator, reported that Surprise hosted Special Olympics state games with swimming and bocce: 43 local athletes competed and earned bronze, silver, and gold; over 1,000 athletes attended; 24 Surprise athletes are expected to compete in the December Special Olympic State Games.
• Surprise Youth Council members Emma Chan and Caden Noble described recent volunteer events and upcoming activities. Caden told Councilman Jed his favorite part was the volunteering.
• Judge Dominguez administered the oath of office to new Fire Medical Chief Kevin M. Spurlong; his wife Annette pinned his badge. Chief Spurlong thanked the council and said he had worked in Surprise half his life.

Board and Commission Appointments

• Councilmember Melton described the appointment process and said many qualified residents applied.
• Reappointed Kim Draden to the Public Safety Retirement Commission for police and fire, four-year term expiring June 30, 2030. Motion passed.
• Appointed Neil Freiser to the City Audit Committee for a two-year term. Motion passed.
• Appointed Stephanie (name transcribed as "Stephanie's logging Odell") to the Board of Trustees for a four-year term expiring June 30, 2030. Motion passed.
• The appointees were not present for oath administration, so that was rescheduled.

Discussion Items

• None. The mayor stated there were no regular agenda items or public hearings.

Council Reports and Other Business

• Councilman Duffy and Councilman Jed announced a Saturday 9 a.m. community meeting at the Corral near the White Tank Mountains; Councilman Jed also announced a Wednesday 6 p.m. meeting at Head Wright Brewery.
• Councilman Hastings encouraged voting, noting that nonvoters in the last presidential election would have formed a "no vote" bloc larger than either major candidate's total.
• The Mayor encouraged attendance at the Veterans Day Parade on November 11 at 10 a.m.

Key Outcomes

• Proclaimed International Fraud Awareness Week (November 15–21).
• Administered the oath of office to Fire Medical Chief Kevin M. Spurlong.
• Approved the nine-item consent agenda.
• Approved/reappointed three board/commission appointees; each motion was recorded as a pass vote, with no individual roll-call tally read in the transcript.
• No regular agenda items or public hearings were held.
• The council voted to adjourn to executive session, later reconvened, and adjourned.