Chandler Council Approves $130 Million One Chandler Development; SAM Takes Helm of Long-Stalled Downtown Project

What is your cellmates? Welcome to the Chandler City Council meeting. To help us conduct tonight's meeting efficiently and respectfully, we ask all attendees to follow these rules and procedures. Please submit a speaker card or comment card to the city clerk before the meeting is called to order. This helps us manage the meeting and ensure everyone has a fair opportunity to be heard. Speakers must be recognized by the mayor before addressing the city council.

Once at the podium, please direct all comments to the city council as a whole rather than to individual members or to the audience. Courteous and orderly conduct is expected from everyone present in the chambers. Disruptive behavior such as booing, shouting, yelling, or stomping of feet is not permitted. Any person whose conduct disrupts or interferes with the meeting may be warned by the mayor and if the disruption continues may be asked to leave the council chambers.

This meeting is being recorded and broadcast live on the Chandler channel and online. Thank you for your participation and maintaining a respectful environment for all. Good evening to the regular city council meeting of September 17th. Clerk, would you please take the role? Mayor Harky here. Vice Mayor Encus here. Council member Poston here. Council member Ellis here. Council member Orlando here. Council member Harris here. And council member Hawkins here. We have a quorum. Thank you so much.

Uh, is Pastor Tim Clutz in the audience tonight? Pastor giving her invocation. Okay, please stand. I'll be leading us in the invocation following um well, we'll I'll get to the pledge right after that. So, Lord God, I do thank you for uh this great American experiment. 250 years later, we are still in awe of the opportunity for citizens to have a voice for government to run smoothly, for input, and for for direction.

Lord, I thank you for council members, for everyone who's here tonight to participate in this process, uh, in the decisions made. I pray that you give wisdom to each and every council member. We're grateful to honor and regard constitution night tonight. We give you thanks for your blessings upon our city, upon our lives, upon our families. We give you thanks and I ask all this in Jesus name. Amen. Amen.

So our tonight we are celebrating Constitution Day as I mentioned the we want to welcome the Sons of the American Revolution to lead us in the pledge. The Sons of the American Revolution is a patriotic organization dedicated to honoring Revolutionary War ancestors and educating future generations. Thank you for helping us celebrate Constitution Day. To the flag of the United States of America and to the republic for which it stands.

One nation under God, indivisible with liberty and justice for all. Next on our agenda tonight, we do have a couple scheduled public appearances and I'm going to invite Council Member Ellis to join me up front. Our first scheduled public appearance is a proclamation constitution day. So, uh, Becky Donnelly, chapter regent for the Daughters of the American Revolution and others, please come join us. just right in here.

Whereas September 17th is recognized as Constitution Day commemorating the signing of the United States Constitution in Philadelphia on September 17th, 1787. And whereas the beginning with the words we the people, the Constitution established the framework of our federal government and affirmed that its authority is derived from the people it serves.

And whereas the Constitution consists of a preamble, seven articles, 27 amendments, including the first 10 amendments collectively known as the Bill of Rights, which protect fundamental individual freedoms. And whereas the Constitution has evolved to meet the changing needs of our modern society. And to date, the Constitution has been amended 27 times, most recently in 1992.

And whereas an informed and engaged public is essential to preserving the principles of representative government and understanding the constitution helps residents recognize both the rights it protects and the civic responsibility shared by all. And whereas the city of Chandler recognizes the constitution as the cornerstone of our republic and honors its role in shaping our laws, institutions, and democratic traditions.

Now therefore, I, Kevin Hartkey, mayor of the city of Chandler, do hereby proclaim September 17th, 2026 as Constitution Day. Would one of you like to speak? You've heard that. Okay. Um, just to let you know that the reason we do celebrate Constitution Day is the Daughters of the American Revolution petitioned Congress to set aside the week 17 through 23 of September and that and then President Dwight D. Eisenhower in August the 2nd I believe signed it into law.

So that is the Daughters of the American Revolution's tribute to the Constitution of the US. Well, thank you. and we're going to take a photo. But, you know, just um I I spent a little bit of time earlier today reading the the the freedom documents, the Constitution, and our and uh I I think it is good that we regularly take out this little booklet and refresh ourselves on what is unique about our country and uh and how it continues to be unique today. So, I appreciate you all being here.

I appreciate the the constitution and I appreciate uh that we continue to be an extraordinarily city. So, thank you. Let's take a photo. Thank you. and council, if you guys want to come down for a photo with everybody, you're welcome to. You're welcome. Thank you. Yeah. Yeah. City manager, I do have one question. We just installed a security system and I see a gentleman holding a gun right there. Did we have a eminent failure? What happened here? I would say that's an epic fail, Mayor.

And we have another proclamation um ovarian cancer awareness month. If Rachel and Brandon Putin Putman and Sandra and Steve Marinella are here, please join us. Good evening. And Council Member Ellis is going to read this one. next to me. Yes. Yes. Yes. Thank you, mayor, for allowing me to read this.

As a first responder and also a nurse tonight, I have the privilege to read this because we know that ovarian cancer only happened to women and at the same time it's one of the most painful cancer beside pancreatic cancer.

And so tonight we will encourage every women in the room to please check yourself because this is important for us to continue to do this for this proclamation tonight is read as whereas ovarian cancer is the fifth leading cause of death among women and approximately 21,0 women will be diagnosed with ovarian cancer in 2026 and 12,740 individuals will die from the disease nationwide.

And whereas a woman lifetime risk being diagnosed with ovarian cancer is approximately 1 in 91 and her lifetime risk of dying from the disease is approximately 1 in 143. And whereas due to vague non-specific symptoms and the absence of reliable early detection tests, the majority of women that are diagnosed at stage three or later when the cancer had already spread beyond the ovaries.

Whereas thousands of women lives can be saved through increased public awareness and ovarian cancer and its risk factors, signs and symptoms.

Whereas Chandler will join those battling ovarian cancer, their loved ones, and our state health care workers in spreading awareness, committing to public education, and embracing hope for better diagnosis, treatment, and a cure now thereof, on behalf of Kevin Hutkkey, the mayor of the city of Chandler of Arizona, doby proclaim September 2026 as ovarian cancer awareness month. Thank you. Thank you. Um I'm a longtime resident of this town, 43 years, and I want to say that I have grown.

I was just telling Brandon and Rachel how much I've grown to love this town. And the fact that you would honor ovarian cancer is so dear to my heart right now. Um I the numbers speak for themselves. You shared them in the proclamation that we submitted and we all have people I had grandma Rose who died of this disease. I have a friend who I talked to today in the hospital with this disease. Not sure if she's going to make it. And I have my dear friend Rachel who got me on this campaign with her.

Um I am a cancer survivor but not an ovarian cancer survivor. And I very much believe in this cause and the proclamations. She has managed to arrange proclamations in towns, cities, and states. And I cannot tell you how much I love working with her and supporting this important cause. Let me turn this to her. Hi, my name is Rachel Sacket Pman and I'm here as a stage three ovarian cancer survivor, thor and advocate and as a proud Arizona resident of the past 20 years.

Thank you, Mayor Harky and the entire council of the city of Chandler for once again recognizing September as ovarian cancer awareness month. Arizona is where I build my adult life, my marriage, and my career and my survivorship. So receiving this proclamation from the city of Chandler is so deeply meaningful to me. Ovarian cancer is one of the deadliest cancers affecting women. Yet it remains one of the most underfunded and least understood.

Over 21,000 women in the US will be diagnosed this year. And more than 12,000 will lose their lives. That's almost a 60% mortality rate. Most women are diagnosed at advanced stages because symptoms are vague and there is no early detection test. For many of us, that lack of awareness is the difference between catching cancer early and fighting for our lives.

I was diagnosed at 38 with a rare subtype called low-grade Sarah ovarian cancer, a chronic disease with no standard of care and an 85% recurrence rate. Like many women, I lost my ability to have biological children, dreams my husband and I hadn't yet fulfilled. And this year, I suffered some very deep losses to this disease. losses that weigh heavily and remind me why awareness is so urgently needed.

Every teal light, every social media message, and every proclamation, including this one, helps someone recognize symptoms earlier and brings a muchneeded awareness to this insiduous disease. These action truly save lives and honor the women we've lost far too soon. Thank you for standing with survivors, honoring the women we've lost, and helping to protect families across the city of Chandler in the great state of Arizona. Your continued leadership makes a real and lasting difference.

Together, we can shine a light on this gravely overlooked disease and give hope to the women and families who need it most. Let's do a photo. Like to get you right in front of here. You'll be the centerpiece. Come on over. I'm survive. All right. Thank you. Okay. Say hi to Steve. All right, that concludes our our special announcements. Thank you, Rachel and Sandra. You are not just survivors, you are thrivers.

and thank you for your advocacy for families for women across our community, state, and nation. Council, uh, next on our agenda is the consent agenda. Uh, we had opportunity on Monday to look at these items. How would you like to proceed Mayor? Council member Lando, I move to approve the consent agenda of se September 17, 2026, regular meeting items 1 through 30. Second. Motion. Second by who was that? Council member Ellis. Council member Ellis. Council, is there any recusals?

Any other actions before we vote? Seeing none, council, please vote. Council member Harris. Yes. Motion carries unanimously. All right. Thank you. Next on our agenda is a public hearing. And there is um something I need to read in reflection of a new state law.

To comply with a recent change to state law, any party who gives testimony or who submits written comments to city council as part of a public hearing, which we are about to do, on a zoning issue shall declare whether the party has received compensation in any form to testify or submit written comments at this hearing.

So with that, let's proceed with public hearing for ANX26-00002 annexation of three parcels totaling approximately 4.42 acres located east of the northeast corner of Cooper Road and Via de Pamus. Uh opening this public hearing, Taylor Manam. Thank you. Good evening, Mayor and Council. Uh as said before you today is annexation ANX26-2. The subject sites located near uh just east of the northeast corner of Cooper and Via de Palmus.

Surrounding the site to the north, south, and east are single family residential properties and then to the west is agricultural land and then uh single family residential. The property is approximately 4.42 42 acres consisting of three parcels in Maricopa County. Upon uh annexation, it will receive zoning of AG1 and its current zoning is RU43 in the county.

The subject site is currently going through uh currently going through a reszone and PDP application, preliminary development plan application. Um both are in review and will be forthcoming to council in the next few months for a single family subdivision uh featuring 53 homes across a larger 12.6 acre site. The developer is Khovnian and the homes will be for sale product.

The general plan designation of the property is neighborhoods and the city will provide water and wastewater services to the property. Staff has circulated the request to city departments and no negative comments have been received. And that concludes my presentation. I'm available for any questions. Thank you, Taylor. Council, is there any questions or comments related to this public hearing? Seeing none, is there any discussion from the audience?

Again, seeing none, I would like to close the public hearing. Thank you, Taylor, for the presentation. And council, we have one uh item on action and this is somewhat unique is again as a result of a state uh law change that requires any item that is discussed in exec session after we just met the date. Is that right? Um city attorney, that's correct, Mr. Mayor. Anything that's on an executive session can't be on a consent agenda. It needs to be on a separate agenda item.

Yeah, I think we that just was as of this week. Had we uh had that exact session a week ago, this would not have been required to correct. That law went into effect on September 12th. Very good. Okay. So, uh as a result of this, the um the uh resolution number 6034 amended and restated development agreement between one Chandler owner and the city um is on action. I heard from at least one council member that you wanted uh a brief presentation. Is that correct, Council Member Poston?

Uh, yes, Mayor. Thank you. I just I just think this is a project to be proud of and a long time coming and I would like to let the community know a little more about it. Great. Kim Moyers, come on up. You've got a couple slides for us. Kim is our cultural development director. Good evening, Mayor Council. Okay, mayor council, the item that is before you is a project um on site 7 that we c is one chandler.

In October of 22, we did uh council signed a development agreement with Jackson Dearborn partners. Back in 2024, they did ask for a one-year extension. Since that time, they did complete their resoning with the P A that included 291 multifamily units, 13,000 ft² of office, 16,000 square ft of commercial, and 612 self-contained parking spaces. The item before you today is negotiated deal points reassigning the development agreement to shelter asset management also known as SAM.

It also extends and updates the construction deadlines. We do we will see some slight design modifications but they are consistent with the approved ADR and there is also an added benefit that should they not move forward which we have full confidence they will uh we do have the option to purchase their property um as a right of first refusal.

So the updated timelines include within 20 days after closing on the land, they will begin uh the initiation of the utility relocation work, sending in the designs to the affected utility companies. At 9 months, they will have 100% of their civil plans for both on-site and off-site improvements completed. By May of 2028, they'll have a completion of their minimum improvements with the first tower being complete in September of 29 and their second tower complete in uh September of 2030.

You can see a few of the updates that they are suggesting. Some of the enhanced features include a rooftop pool, um a gathering space at the top, fitness center overlooking Arizona Avenue, monument signage, and canal patios. I was also excited to note that they wanted the park drawings that they want to make sure that they are orienting um this project to our $20 million investment in Dr. AJ Chandler Park as well. And with that, I'm happy to answer any questions you may have.

Council, any questions? Council member Fost. Sure. Just Kim, when when we were talking about this project, um I and you know, we've had multiple runs at this and it seems like we have a very um I would say a good partner in this project, I think. And I was hoping that you could speak a little bit to maybe what makes this company unique and some of the attributes that they bring to the table. Absolutely. I'll mention a few and we do have the applicant here as as well as Brendan Ray.

So I don't need to take all night. I just wanted to brag a little. Um you know this is a 69y old company. Um their parent company is Drew. Um, it just happened by coincidence that uh Lauren uh our downtown redevelopment manager and I attended the International Downtown uh association conference in Toronto where they have uh over 40,000 units and we spent about eight hours total um looking over many of their units. There are uh they are very well known in the area.

They um I've been incredibly impressed with the people that they put in. It's not just a project to them, but it's the people that they actually house and how they do their pricing structure and they care about their people. And I think that makes it a little different um than some that we see. And they are very committed to downtown Chandler and have been to every one of the weekly planning meetings since we began our weekly meetings. The owner is there every single week.

And I think that that's very unique and different. Okay. I thought it was interesting too that their business model is to get people into their property and people stay for a very long time. That's a little different than what we see in other properties. Absolutely. Um I again uh the owner Stu could could speak more about this, but the average tenant stays at least nine years. I think that's a very high average in this area. All right. Thank you, Ken. Yes. Thank you, mayor. Additional questions?

Council member, thank you. I I would like to take the opportunity to thank you and staff for having really been dedicated a lot of time to this project but but also I would like to commend and thank Mr. Henson for saying yes to this project. I know that we were at a place where we were going to have to pull this thing back because uh numerous other project in the downtown Chandler didn't pan out but you came to the rescue I will sit to the rescue and really make this project your priority.

There's so many things that you could be doing all over the world, but you have chosen Chandler. It's also to prove that we are a city of innovation and the things that you're going to be doing here in downtown is going to propel us to the next level. And this relationship that we just started with you right now, I will hope that we will continue to build it when your jet come to to be at our airport. We will definitely be ready for it and continue to do business with you in the future.

Thank you, sir, for saying yes to this. Canada is all is all in. Thank you, Councilman Blando. Thank you, mayor. And um I do want to echo that. This has been a long time coming, Kim. I think you promised me before you retire, you're going to get this corner built. Well, don't retire, though. Okay. All right. I'm not holding you to that. Um it's been about at least 20 years. At least far back as I can remember. It has. Thank you.

Um, you know, the other thing about this property, it's a huge investment to our downtown, and I know they'll be a part of the downtown community. Uh, Kim, do you have any thoughts on the investment that this these folks are laying out to our they believe in our community so much that they want to invest in this community and it's a pretty good um figure. Absolutely. Uh, some of the numbers that we were able to pull together, uh, we've been told it's a $130 million project.

So, what does that mean for the community? We know for over the next four years they will have uh about 200 full-time staff on site at all times. Those are people spending money spent in our downtown and in our area. Um about 50% of those will actually be SAM employees. So they're putting their money where their mouth is and bringing their employees here. We know permitting fees alone are going to be about $4 million that are going to be put into our revenues.

It's going to create somewhere in the neighborhood of 100 retail new jobs and between somewhere in the neighborhood of 70 and 85 office employees that are again uh just going to keep reaping that um uh generating that income.

While we did not do an economic analysis specifically for this project because there are no incentives involved, we have taken a look at some of the other projects in the area and we know for a project this size that this should generate approximately $30 million of average annual budget expenditures. So with all of the new people in uh in downtown spending their money right here in our community, it will be a benefit for our for Chandler.

and you know and we met these individuals already in the last year or so u I appreciate the investment. Thank you for investing in our our community. Um and and and the bottom line is they're here to stay and hopefully we could do additional work. So thank you council. I'm going to do something I don't always do is I'm going to make a motion. I usually reserve that for council but I believe in this company, believe in the project.

Uh Brennan, this might be the first time you ever heard me do that. So, uh, I'd like to make a motion to approve resolution number 6034, the amended and restated development agreement between one Chandler owner and the city of Chandler and approving an assignment of development agreement to Sam CDT I LLC. Is there a second? I'll second it again because I second it earlier. All right, we have a second by Council Member Ellis. Everyone's pretty much said council, please vote.

Council member Harris, yes. Motion carries unanimously. Very good. Council, next, I have two unscheduled public appearance cards. I will call them up in the order presented to me. The first is um is JGA Zenvas. I'm sorry, Ja. You're I can't read this totally, but please come up, state your city of residence. You have up to three minutes to share what's on your mind. Council cannot engage you because this is unscheduled. Sir, the floor is yours. Uh, good evening, mayor and council.

My name is Igor Zenov. I live here in Chandler. On this Constitution Day, it's important not just to have a celebratory mood about our rights, but also recognize when they are implicated and when it's important to safeguard them, even when it is inconvenient. All across the nation, we are seeing how mass surveillance is starting to run into those rights. Our Supreme Court is going against the mass collection of cell phone data specifically because it shows everyone's location without a warrant.

In fact, flock cameras are coming under bipartisan federal investigation for the exact same reason. And that is why Chandler made the right choice in discontinuing flock cameras because no one should be surveiled without a warrant. That is what the fourth amendment ultimately shows and among other things.

Um and so the reaction that we are seeing to that in the valley um is we are obviously seeing cameras be taken down across other cities but that surveillance is being slowly reintroduced by stealth. I will give you an example from the city of Gilbert. This is a town where residents opposed flot cameras by a 400 to 100 4:1 ratio. And yet that's a town council uh introduced um Axon Fleet 3 cameras which are ALPRs mounted on police cars um and in a by unanimous motion this Monday.

And so the reason I mention this is it's very easy to end up in the same place that we were. Um I tried to go through all of the u various agendas. Um unfortunately I maybe the city curer can help with this. The search function is broken. So I had to manually go through all the agendas to see uh what the nature of our axon contract is. And I still don't know whether we have fleet cameras and whether they are configured to act as license plate readers.

I obviously oppose this, but we can get into the details later. But even if physical hardware is not used to reintroduce ALPR technology to Chandler, there is another loophole that may be coming for us. Paragrin software. What paragrin software does is take, for example, a red light camera and turn it into a flot camera by on the back end doing the ALPR analysis. I will for the council's information say that paragrin software was purchased by Chandler in December of 2025.

So I would also you know like to know what's going on there. The result is three concrete steps that this council can do to safeguard not just our first amendment rights which you are helping me out with here today but also our fourth amendment rights. First please direct Chandler uh police to stop responding to foyer requests with enormous stacks of paper. That is not appropriate when we are go trying to go through databases.

Second, please tell us whether Axon fleet 3 cameras are in Chandler and if they are acting as ALPRs. And finally, tell us what Paragrin is doing and are is that software turning all the light red light cameras into flot cameras. I understand we are all trying to do our best here. There are always difficult decisions to be weighed here. For example, the consent agenda just uh went through celebrate software, which I may not be comfortable with, but is kind of a different issue.

But overall, we must pro preserve our Fourth Amendment rights even when it is not convenient and even when it involves digging into things that appear to already be settled. Thank you. Next up is Noah James. Markham. Noah, please state your city of residence. You have up to three minutes to share your thoughts with us. Aloha, mayor, and to the rest of the city council. My name is Noah James Markham and I'm from the great city of Tempi.

So, the last time I was here, I talked about I was the only Democrat that supports flock and license plate readers. And to the news channels that said there was no one for the flock cameras and Chandler, you're falsely wrong for what you said on the news about block cameras and Chandler. So, I keep on hearing that flock with the mislead information and those cameras will pick up illegal aliens, which it doesn't make sense to me. It It doesn't. It can only see the license plate.

And please, whoever is operating these flock cameras, do not be a per. Also, I I've kind of it's funny because we're so concerned about the flat camera so much, but you know, God is bigger than a flat camera. And I keep on telling people this, you know, you may not believe in a God, but he is higher than that flat camera. So funny. So, yes, I I'm for the police force and I'm here for safety.

keeping homeless off our streets and keeping our city safe and making sure that our police are out there on Fridays, Saturdays, Sundays to keep make sure downtown Chandler is safe and clubs are safe. And yes, Democrats, I know you keep things safe and not make the the town trashy. So, let's not be that Democrat that likes a town trashy town.

I also ask that we make sure that we extend the cre the street car here and Chandler instead of the light rail and more bus routes if we don't have enough here and clean those sewer systems on the street. Also, I am wondering if you guys could put a Muji store here at the Cham Mall. It's a big store of uh Japanese stuff and keep trans women out of women's sports. That's why they are called trans women. They are men. Mahalo and thank you for listening to me. Thank you, Noah.

Next up is uh current events. I will start. Um perhaps most of you have heard this already, but I do want to share some unfortunate news. Dear friend and patriot and leader in Arizona, former Senator John Kyle, passed away today. John's impact on Arizona's water policy was foundational. Before entering Congress, he worked as a lawyer for a mayor major water utility and was a key participant in drafting Arizona's 1980 groundwater code which established regulatory management of groundwater.

He also secured the largest tribal right water rights settlement in the country and councel and others. Let's make sure his legacy, one of practical long view approach, lives on while we continue to shape and grow in Arizona and walk through the the hurdles and uh potential battles ahead related to water policy and making sure that both urban and rural areas continue to have the ability to thrive and to grow. Next, I would like to make a statement welcoming Derek Lavell, our new city attorney.

I want to thank Derek as he is wrapping up his second public meeting. Uh, you did a good job on Monday, too, sir, as our new city attorney. He is leading the law department and serving as legal adviser to us, city council. He most recently served as the chief assistant city attorney for the city of Phoenix where he helped oversee one of Arizona's largest municipal law department for 12 years and he brings over 24 years of legal experience beyond government.

He's worked in private practice and international law. Next, I want to share a brief update. I recently returned from a trip to Taiwan with Micah Miranda, our economic development director, and 102 other uh Arizonans who were there part of the semiccon trip that was in Taipei and other areas. The ACA, Arizona Commerce Authority, uh led this delegation and this week was full of meetings and connections interested in Arizona and the what I call the yes Micah the greater Chandler region.

We used the opportunity when we were there as well to take the bullet train to visit our friendship city Tyand where we are looking at extending relationships as well as developing more economic opportunities between our cities. As Chandler evolves and the semiconductor industry becomes an economic block of Chandler's continued success, these types of events are important for the economic development of our community, of our region, and of our state.

Next, I would like to talk I'm doing a lot today, guys. Uh talk about gain are getting Arizonans involved in neighborhoods. This is an annual statewide event designed to encourage neighborhood watch programs and to bring together communities throughout Chandler. Our 2025 game kickoff is this Saturday, September 19th, from 8:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. at the Chandler Police Department's downtown precinct. The gate event will be held after this.

This is the opportunity to for these neighborhoods to um learn more about the program as well as to see what special events from police and fire community services that will visit their picnics which will be held on October 17th from 3 to 8:30 p.m. And as a reminder to neighborhoods to receive those type of benefits and participate in gain on the 17th, you need to be at the kickoff to register.

So we're excited to kick off this year's program and look forward to join you all at community events next month. And lastly, yes, lastly for me, do want to mention briefly, we have an upcoming sister city conference on September 25th and 26. council, you are all invited to participate and be engaged with this to host Chandler's first uh Arizona Conference of Sister Cities.

The conference will take place at the ASU Innovation Center, and it will be an opportunity to connect, learn, and grow sister city programs in Chandler, learn best practices, as well as see what else is happening across our state. I truly believe that sister cities help build economic ties, community, and friendships beyond our zip codes.

I want to thank our sister city committee and participants from our community, the state, and other nations that will be at our conference here at this year's uh conference. And Mayor Elect Orlando, you will soon be having a seat next official on this board. and uh I hope you take it to even greater heights than we've done so far. With that, Council Member Poston. Thanks, Mayor. I just wanted to talk about an event I attended today along with you, Mayor, who made a couple of comments.

I wanted to thank the economic development division. They did an excellent job hosting a presentation to small businesses on intellectual property. And you know, it's just not that often that you get expertise in the room like that to be able to ask questions and to make presentations. So, I wanted to recognize Fuller IP Law attorneys as well for taking their time. And what was really um you know, I I attended both as a council member and a small business owner myself and learned a great deal.

But what was really great to see was the number of small business owners who took time out of the middle of their day to come and attend this, which just shows us there's a need and a small business ecosystem in Chandler and I'm was just really appreciative and grateful to see them being served in that way. Thank you. Thank you, Mayor. We are asking everyone to help us make Chandler Road safer. In the last five years, there have been 16,000 crashes in the street of Chandler.

That's why Chandler is undertaking a roadway safety plan. But we need your input to reduce the frequency and severity of crashes across the city. Visit chandleraz.govsafety street chandleraz.gov/safety street to learn more. We're inviting everyone to take the survey and provide feedback. Your voice makes a difference and help our road helps our roads to be safer.

The next one I have is a Kimberellite visual that I have five years ago as one of my initiative here in the city of Chandler because we believe that uh in this city domestic violence is still something that we have to deal with. I will be hosting a domestic violent vigil here in the city hall right here in the back courtyard on October 16 at 6 p.m.

We'll have community leaders and nonprofit partners in attendance to share resources and we will have the opportunity to honor the courage of thrivvers because we call domestic violence survivors thrivvers. They are able to thrive after what they have been through. their children and their families also will be there. Whether you've been personally affected or simply want to show support, we encourage you all to join us for this vigil.

Together, we can help break the silence, connect people to life-saving resources, and show that Chandler stand with survivors. Thank you, mayor. Thank you, Vice Mayor. Thank you, mayor. Um, I do just want to extend a thank you to mayor and members of council, city staff, volunteers, and vendors who attended our Hispanic Heritage Kickoff um event this past weekend. Our Contigo event has become one of our signature events here in Chandler, and it began, I believe, in 2021.

um our our shop can uh correct me on that one, but every year every year it has uh grown and evolved bigger and bigger and this year was the first time that we had a collaboration with the East Valley Hispanic Chamber of Commerce, the city of Chandler and the Mexican Consulate here in Phoenix, which it turned out to be a great event. So, I want to thank those organizations and I want to thank the honorable Jorge Yetkas um the president of the consulate coming out to do the uh gto ceremony.

It was a great event. well attended and as I said this continues to grow bigger and bigger every year. So we look forward to next year but before that um you know we still have a lot more events going on through the next month uh for um our Contigo lineup. So you can take a look at um chandleraz.govontigo to check out any of our future events that we have going on specifically in our libraries and our vision gallery.

We have the loss muertos celebration coming up and the mariachi and fllororico festival coming up as well next month. help us celebrate and join in on the fund for Hispanic Heritage Month. Thank you, Vice Mayor. I had the opportunity the next two nights on Sunday actually and Tuesday to attend two more Elgito events and the sponsors were still raving about how much they loved doing it in Chandler outside there and they thought it was a great venue.

So, thank you council and staff for your participation and leadership. Um, council member tonight, mayor, council member Hawkins. Thank you, Mayor. Okay, so it is under 100 degrees, which means it's fall finally. Um, that means that our Chandler students and educators are going to start their fall break next week. So, to our teachers and students, we wish you all a happy and safe fall break.

The other event I am excited to bring forward is fall time also means that it's rodeo season and the Miss Rodeo Arizona scholarship pageant is scheduled for this coming October 9th and 10th. Um Friday event at Horseshoe Park and Equestrian Center and the Miss Rodeo Arizona is the official state representative for the sport of rodeo. The role promotes the western way of life and represents the state at the national level in December. So the main event I will admit is Saturday.

It's going to be um the main events, excuse me, and the fashion show are Saturday at Vibe right here in Chandler. So, we hope that you'll go and check out miss rodeoarizona.org to uh look at tickets and the events. But really, um I'm excited to just share this event because it's just it's meaningful. It showcases Arizona's rural roots and community, and I just hope that we can continue to support it and uh keep us that small town vibe that I love. So, thank you.

I hope you'll we'll see you there. Your pace and roots are showing. City manager, mayor, council, just a quick reminder, next week the city of Channel will honor honor peace week. This is an internationally recognized week that promotes nonviolence. And that's all I have to. All right. Thank you, council. Thank you those in the audience. That concludes our meeting.