Dozens of projects were brought up during a March 27 Chandler City Council work session on capital improvement projects.
Some of the projects mentioned have been discussed often by council. Others were much more recently brought to the table.
One item Mayor Kevin Hartke asked about was a possible joint venture with a nearby municipality in constructing an all-new crime lab. Discussions died down late in spring 2024 after Chandler discovered it had reached both space and tech capacity with its current 5,500-square-foot lab and had discussed partnering with the Town of Gilbert in constructing a new one.
City Manager Josh Wright said while the cost will still use up many Chandler funds, talks were still happening among officials in the two cities, as of March 24, regarding the project.
“We’ve had some very productive conversations,” Wright said. “We hope to have more certainty in April. We’ve told them where we’re going with the project, that it will be located in Chandler, and that we’re ready to go. We’re waiting to hear from them.”
That wouldn’t be the first law enforcement-related joint venture between Chandler and Gilbert. Chandler officers have helped staff the Gilbert-Chandler Unified Holding Facility, located at Gilbert Police headquarters, for about 10 years.
Overall in capital improvements, Chandler is looking to add more than $200 million to its 10-year plan — beyond last year’s 2025-34 plan — to bring it to almost $2.7 billion for the fiscal years 2026-35.
Inflation and burning through its most recent bond authorization of funds have forced the city to consider a bond election this fall.
Accordingly, a staff report’s list of planned next-five-years projects, across all departments, contains asterisks next to more than half the items for more bond authority required to fund them.
In fact, the list of projects on that list that don’t need 2025 bond election authority is the short one. That includes all of Chandler Municipal Airport’s grant-centered projects, Tumbleweed Ranch improvements, traffic signal additions, Washington Street improvements and the police crime lab.
The list of items requiring new bond authority is highlighted by the first two phases of construction of the long-anticipated Mesquite Groves Park, rebuilding Fire Station No. 4 in far west Chandler, Kyrene Road, Arizona Avenue and Warner intersection and McQueen Road improvements and a street repaving program that calls for at least a $115.8 million expense over the next five years.
The continued focus will be on aging infrastructure, the staff report states, with $1.32 billion in “key infrastructure projects” for water and wastewater in the 10-year plan.
One chart in the report shows how much Chandler infrastructure was built in the 1980s and 1990s, with much of it either reaching end of its live or needing extensive rehabilitation.
Fiscal years run July 1 to June 30, so fiscal 2026 will run July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026.
Jason W. Brooks News Editor | Chandler Independent
Jason W. Brooks joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in July 2021 as an associate editor. After a year covering Buckeye, he has covered Chandler since the fall of 2022, in addition to assisting the Daily Independent throughout his time at INI.
Education: University of New Mexico, bachelor of arts in journalism and mass communication, print emphasis, English minor.
Random Fact: He and his siblings witnessed a Space Shuttle launch and landing in the same year in person, on opposite coasts.
Hobbies: Karaoke, bicycling and American Sign Language.
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