Queen Creek Town Council approves $487M budget

At its Wednesday, May 19 meeting, the Queen Creek Town Council approved a budget of $487.2 million for the 2021-22 fiscal year, which begins on July 1, 2021.

The approved budget continues to prioritize infrastructure, with 66% of funding dedicated to transportation, water and wastewater, public safety, and other infrastructure projects.

The approved budget also includes funding for the Queen Creek Police Department, which will become the Town’s law enforcement provider in January 2022.

 "The town’s budget is essential as it serves as a guiding document for our community throughout the year,” said Queen Creek Mayor Gail Barney. “As a council, we are excited to share that this budget makes QC the first municipality in the state to have a fully funded pension reserve. And, with a population of approximately 68,500, the budget prioritizes investments in critical and essential infrastructure like roads, utilities and public safety, while preserving and advancing the community’s quality of life.”

A major milestone of the budget includes fully funding the town’s Arizona State Retirement System pension reserve. The town’s public safety pension reserve is already fully funded, making the town the first municipality in the state to have fully funded pension reserves. This eliminates the need to pay down large unfunded pension liabilities in the future and saves nearly $2 million annually.

The budget includes a recommendation to maintain the primary property tax rate at $1.83 per $100 of assessed value. The primary property tax rate will be adopted by Town Council at its Wednesday, June 2 meeting.