Gilbert Town Council listened for two hours Tuesday as a series of residents railed about the town’s rail proposal. The only problem: the town does not have one.
That created a sticky situation for council members who wanted to be sensitive to citizens’ concerns about the possibility of a rail system. Council Member Kathy Tilque wondered how the council could discuss it with the public when there was no agenda item to vote on bringing light or commuter rail into town and the town had no intention of having one.
“I fear a lot of people came here tonight thinking we had something on an agenda or to vote on tonight,” she said. “Because we don’t, we don’t have any discussions on light rail or commuter rail, how do we put that on an agenda to have a conversation with the public when we’re not taking any action on those two particular items?”
Tilque said the town had no interest to her knowledge in holding any discussions on bringing light or commuter rail to town, only a land-use feasibility study on transportation stations.
Town Attorney Chris Payne said a special meeting perhaps could be called, and Vice Mayor Aimee Yentes suggested that with agreement of three council members, some kind of proposal could be put on an agenda that would then allow council to have discussions with citizens.
That was not the case Tuesday. There was no rail item on the agenda. The anti-rail comments came during the public comment period, and by state law, council members could not respond to the comments since there was no agenda item.
The concerns, however, did have a point of origination. Maricopa Association of Governments has for decades in its regional transportation plan included a proposal for a Tucson-to-Buckeye commuter rail project that runs through Gilbert on the existing Union Pacific Railroad line.
The decision to start such service would be a federal one, according to town officials.
However, the town does have money budgeted for a feasibility study on the possibility of having one or two multimodal transportation stations on town-owned land in Cooley Station or the Heritage District in the event such rail service is inaugurated.
In April, council tabled a proposal to move ahead with the study, instead opting to have a study session on what the project would be. That study session is scheduled to happen Aug. 23.
Aimee Yentes, who first objected to approving the study before the council took a deeper look at the rail proposal, presided over the public comment period Tuesday in her role as vice mayor and struggled to maintain the meeting’s decorum as audience members cheered, clapped and yelled approval about citizens’ comments.
Finally, after repeated incidents, Yentes declared council would have to end the comment period if any more outbursts occurred. She pleaded with people to allow everyone their chance to speak.
Many of the speakers conflated Valley Metro’s light rail, which runs from northwest Phoenix to Mesa, with the proposed commuter rail. Council members consistently have opposed any expansion of light rail into Gilbert.
Some questioned council members’ motives in considering rail options and where the idea came from.
“Possibly some woke fairy dust was sprinkled on (a proposal), something to make it attractive,” resident Richard Young said. “But blow that away, and it is not an attractive idea at all. In fact, it’s a potential disaster.”
Most stated rail, either commuter or light, would bring in crime, panhandling and homeless camps into Gilbert and change the nature of the town.
A few people expressed an understanding that there was a difference between light rail, which would tear up streets to be put in, and commuter rail that would run on existing line and that the real issue before town was whether to have the feasibility study. But those people also opposed the commuter rail and study.
Roy and Kellee Casto were among those who made the differentiation.
“This might not be your decision,” he said. “This might be the feds trying to force it down our throat. We don’t want it. We don’t want the taxes. We don’t want to pay the maintenance. We don’t want to pay any of it.”
Kellee Casto said the $289,000 study is too expensive during a recessionary period.
“Just because we have the infrastructure at Cooley Station or we can built it in the Heritage District does not mean that we should,” she said.
No one spoke in favor of a rail project.
Christine Accurso referenced a drawing from Gibert's 2014 master transportation plan that showed light rail into Gilbert connecting with commuter rail. However, the drawing was a reference to a summary of the 2035 regional transportation plan, drafted by Maricopa Association of Governments. Furthermore, the MAG document indicated there was no plan to do so.
“Depending on future development patterns, population densities sufficient to warrant investment in commuter rail may not occur within the current planning horizon of the (regional transportation plan),” the report read.
Gilbert has not adopted or considered any of the light or commuter rail plan's options. MAG has no funds identified for implementing such rail through 2035, according to the plan.
Gilbert's capital improvement plan also has no funding for any rail project beyond the feasibility study.
Accurso told council that even more people would show up to comment at the next meeting until any rail plans were dead.
Other items
A few of the speakers during public comment opposed the use of eminent domain for two different capital improvement projects, one along the Western Canal and the other on Ocotillo Road.
Council approved on a 5-2 vote the purchase for $886,858 of three additional ambulances for the Fire and Rescue Department’s ambulance service. Yentes and Laurin Hendrix voted in dissent, with Yentes pointing out it was much earlier than expected for the town to buy three additional ambulances.
Council unanimously approved a minor zoning change to allow the construction of a two-story storage facility on the southwest corner of Recker and Pecos roads. The proposal drew some neighbor objections for safety of nearby residents and access to owners’ land and a well on nearby land. The approval came with a council stipulation for some security fencing to be used.
Council unanimously approved a minor zoning change for The Gilmore, a mixed-use development with ground-floor retail and residential use above.
Tom Blodgett Senior News Editor | Gilbert @sp_blodgett
Meet Tom Tom Blodgett joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in 2022, when the company acquired Community Impact Newspaper's Phoenix-area properties. Raised in Arizona, he has spent more than 35 years in journalism in the state.
Community: He has served as an instructional professional in the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication since 2005, and is editorial adviser to The State Press, the university's independent student media outlet. He also is director of operations for an 18U girls fastpitch softball team from Gilbert.
Education: Arizona State University with a BS in Journalism.
Random Fact: He lived in Belgium during his freshman year of high school.
Hobbies: Tweeting enthusiastically about ASU softball (season-ticket holder) and grumpily about other local sports (pessimistic fan).
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