The Goodyear City Council on Monday unanimously approved an intergovernmental agreement with Liberty Elementary School District that sets the terms for annexing a 15.8-acre site intended for the district’s new Loretta Zumbro elementary school campus.
The property, near west Lower Buckeye Road between south Citrus Road and south Perryville Road, currently lies within unincorporated Maricopa County.
Liberty Elementary School District plans to develop the site into a campus with five buildings to serve approximately 850 students, with potential for future expansion.
Loretta Zumbro will cost $33.0 million to construct and is due to open in August 2025 ahead of the school year.
The agreement outlines responsibilities for both parties ahead of annexation. Liberty will be required to complete a series of public infrastructure improvements before the property can be brought into the city and connected to city services.
These include half-street improvements along West Lower Buckeye Road and South 183rd Avenue, construction of a three-legged traffic signal at their intersection, and development of on-site and off-site water and wastewater systems.
“We know it’s ambitious,”said Kini Knudson, Goodyear’s deputy city manager. “Liberty has been working on-site and with Maricopa County on a lot of inspections and working through the construction aspect of it. We anticipate being able to provide water and sewer primarily when they’ve completed their infrastructure work.”
Goodyear will be responsible for reviewing and permitting infrastructure plans, inspecting construction, and ultimately annexing the property and providing water and wastewater services once the school district meets all requirements.
Goodyear Councilmember Trey Terry, who previously served on a school board, voiced support for the agreement, emphasizing the need for reliable public safety services.
“The most important point to me is these are going to primarily be Goodyear kids attending this school,” Terry said. “One of the reasons annexation is most important is because (Maricopa County Sheriff’s Office) cannot provide police coverage, rural fire cannot provide fire coverage to the extent that our residents deserve, that those kids deserve. I just wanted to emphasize that this annexation allows a smooth transmission of those services as needed.”
Liberty’s governing board approved the agreement on April 15. With council approval now in place, the annexation process will continue.
A formal annexation vote by council will be scheduled once all conditions are met.
Visit goodyearaz.gov for more information.
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