Futures of Chandler leadership, schools hinge on elections
Courtesy of Chandler USD
A class works on assignments at a Chandler elementary school. Chandler Unified’s $271.5 million bond is just one of several impactful items voters will decide on in the Chandler area this week. Ballots must be turned in by Tuesday, Nov. 4.
A lot could change next week after the results of Nov. 4 special Chandler elections become apparent.
The $475 million bond and two charter amendments the city of Chandler has on the ballot, coupled with the Chandler Unified School District’s $271.5 million bond and override elections, a local county-island fire district bond and a countywide mental health facilities bond, mean area voters have a strong voice in how the East Valley evolves over the next several years.
Even though the last day to mail in a ballot via the U.S. Postal Service was Tuesday, Oct. 28, those who are in possession of ballots in these all-mail elections can still turn them in.
Ballots can also be dropped off at one of a few secure county ballot drop boxes, including boxes at Chandler City Hall, at the Chandler Unified district office on West Frye Road, at the Sun Lakes Fire Station 232 on Alma School Road and many more dropboxes around the county.
The Chandler City Council voted earlier this summer to place a handful of items on a special Nov. 4 election ballot.
City’s $475 million bond
Voters can authorize the city to continue a property tax so that the city can issue general obligation bonds over time to help fund the city’s Capital Improvement Plan.
The total of $475 million in bonds will be used to fund multiple projects, many addressing aging infrastructure, including parks and recreational amenities, public safety facilities and equipment, and street improvements, as asked of voters in the form of four yes-or-no bond questions on the ballot.
Here are some highlights of each of the city’s four bond questions, as pared down earlier this year and in late 2024 by a 30-plus-resident bond exploratory committee:
-Fire services, $88 million: Construct a new fire station to support growing areas. Modernize existing stations and replace aging fire trucks and emergency equipment
-Parks and recreation, $158 million: Renovate and upgrade parks, sports fields and playgrounds. Improve aquatic centers and recreation facilities
-Police services, $46 million: Renovate and upgrade the police headquarters. Invest in technology, communications and replacement vehicles to support officers in the field.
-Streets and traffic, $183 million: Repave aging roads and repair critical infrastructure. Improve intersections and upgrade traffic signals for safer, smoother travel.
City’s charter amendments
-Proposition 410 official wording: “Shall Article II, Section 2.01 of the City Charter be amended to clarify term limits for councilmembers and mayor, including limits of two consecutive four-year terms for each office, and 16 consecutive years as a combination of councilmember and mayor, establish limits that may apply when there are two years or less between service as a councilmember and mayor, clarify a limitation on the eligibility of members who resign, and eliminate outdated language?”
If Proposition 410 passes, the specified 16-year cap on serving as mayor or on council means a council member or mayor could run for the other seat in the final year of two four-year terms of either office.
Defeat of the amendment leaves it unclear whether a four-year gap must be in between mayoral and council service.
-Proposition 411 official wording: “Shall Article III, Sections 3.01 and 3.02 of the City Charter be amended to allow the city council to establish the term of the city manager as the council deems appropriate and the amount of severance pay in the event of the manager’s termination?”
Proposition 411, if passed, would give Council the discretion of how much severance pay a removed city manager would receive, in agreement with the city manager, as opposed to the flat two months’ salary that’s in the charter now.
Voters can learn more about Chandler city proposals on the ballot by clicking here or here.
Chandler Unified bond
Chandler Unified voters are voting on an override and a $271.5 million bond that’s considerably scaled down from the $487 million bond package that voters rejected in 2024.
The bonds will be repaid over 20 years with a property tax increase of $315.10 per $100,000 in assessed value. The estimated average tax rate for the proposed bond authorization is $0.32 per $100 of assessed valuation.
Highlights of the CUSD package include many maintenance, equipment and infrastructure replacement projects, including a rebuild of the district’s oldest elementary school in use today, Hartford Encinas.
Other highlights include roofing, cafeteria modernization and remodeling, several HVAC or air conditioning projects, security cameras and classroom technology.
A bond provides a set amount the district can use for capital expenditures such as new buildings, building additions, land acquisitions, school buses, building renovations, furniture, equipment and technology.
Voters approved a $290 million bond for Chandler Unified in 2019.
Chandler Unified override
Unlike bonds, overrides are spending authority for a specified length of time.
A successful override vote allows an Arizona school district to overspend state spending limits by 15% annually, for a period of seven school years, on operational expenses, including salaries, benefits, supplies, purchased services, utilities, and insurance, the district states.
CUSD voters approved seven years’ worth of override authority in 2021. Typically, district leaders recommend asking voters a year or two ahead of authority expiration in order to obtain seven years' worth of authority from voters.
The estimated first-year tax rate for the proposed budget override amount is $1.09 per $100 of assessed valuation.
Read more about the CUSD bond and override by clicking here.
Sun Lakes’ fire district bond
The Arizona Fire & Medical Authority is seeking a $23.5 million bond from voters who live in the South County Fire & Medical District, which includes the unincorporated Sun Lakes area of Maricopa County, located southwest of Chandler.
Proposition 409, posed to all Maricopa County voters, states: “A ‘yes’ vote supports issuing $898 million in bonds to fund health care facilities in Maricopa County, resulting in an estimated annual tax rate of $108 per $100,000 in assessed value.”
The Maricopa County Special Health Care District — Valleywise Health — would use the revenue from the bond measure to fund replacing a behavioral health hospital with a larger facility, constructing outpatient health facilities and expanding the main hospital.
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.
By 
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here