Queen Creek Mayor Julia Wheatley is running unopposed for a second term in the July 21 primary.
The Queen Creek Independent sent Wheatley a questionnaire where she looked at the challenges and opportunities facing the town now and in the future.
Julia Wheatley
Age: 46
Employment: Mayor, mortgage officer
Community involvement: Mayor 2022-current; town council member 2010-2022; Greater Phoenix Economic Council mayors and supervisors council, current; League of Arizona Cities and Towns executive committee, current; Maricopa Association of Governments regional council (treasurer), current; Maricopa Association of Governments executive committee, current; Maricopa Association of Governments transportation policy committee, current and chair 2024-2025; Mesa Gateway Airport Authority board of directors, current, and chair 2024-2025; Economic Development Commission; Parks & Recreation Advisory Committee; Transportation Advisory Committee; and Mayor’s Teen Advisory Committee
What are the biggest challenges facing the town? The biggest challenge that faces Queen Creek is solving regional transportation issues. We are fortunate to have another voice in the southeast Valley with the newly incorporated San Tan Valley mayor and council to help advocate for transportation solutions and funding for our region. In the past, Queen Creek had to advocate for the entire region. Our roads are constructed for Queen Creek’s projected build out not for the current capacity of 225,000 average vehicles per day that are traversing our roads. This is over two-and-a-half times Queen Creek’s current population. We need to ensure that regional transportation solutions are prioritized and solved at a state and county level beyond just the taxpayers of Queen Creek.
How would you rate the town’s infrastructure and what needs immediate attention? For a quasi-rural community like Queen Creek, our town-wide infrastructure is exceptional. Every council I have had the privilege of working with has prioritized public safety. Within the last few years, we have added ambulance services and launched the Real-Time Information Center. The response time for fire and medical calls is 4:40.
We have the infrastructure and support in place for our first responders to have superior infrastructure, equipment and training, not only to serve and protect our residents but to also support those that wear the uniform. We recently opened the police and fire training facility and are preparing to construct our police headquarters. We can consolidate a police substation by adding capacity at the headquarters, which greatly increases efficiency and reduces the overall cost to the taxpayers.
Recognizing we live in a desert and in the middle of a 32-year drought, we have proactively taken action to control the fate and increasing cost of our water supply by diversifying our water portfolio. We currently have a 100-year water supply that is 90% drought- and cut- resistant. We have exceptional water and wastewater infrastructure in place.
We have award winning parks, trails and recreational opportunities with the recent addition of the Mansel Carter Oasis Park expansion, Frontier Family Park, Recreation and Aquatic Center, and new dog park.
We are still growing and continue to build through the maturation of our community as adopted by our voter-approved town master plan.
The immediate attention that our infrastructure needs is regional funding for regional traffic that comes from outside of our town boundaries. Given the major constraints of the railroad and two washes that bisect our roadways, which prevent a typical community grid transportation system and the connectivity that grid affords, the town has built a remarkable transportation network within our town. However, we are not done, and our current five-year plan includes $187 million in new transportation projects. To maintain high standards of transportation infrastructure, 95% of our street maintenance work orders are completed within 24 hours.
How would you work to strike a balance between growth and maintaining the town’s quality of life? Queen Creek will continue to grow as landowners continue to sell their undeveloped land through the property rights they are enshrined with, but it is the connection between the new growth, the existing residents and the original families of Queen Creek that matters. That connection is our history and staying true to the original values of the community by being a neighborly, family-friendly town that looks out for and cares for one another is crucial — as well as a town that protects its rural and equestrian lifestyle. I voted in favor of reducing restrictions and regulations on animals on our large rural lots to continue to preserve the way of life that Queen Creek historically has been known for.
With the town’s period of “hyper growth” over for the foreseeable future, what does the town need to do to remain fiscally conservative yet still meet the needs of the residents? I can say with certainty, Queen Creek has the most fiscally conservative budget policies in the state. This is evidenced by our bond rating of AA+. We have planned and spent conservatively the entire 16 years I have been on the council. While we have seen tremendous growth, we have been saving responsibly for a period in Queen Creek’s history that will not see the same sharp increase in growth.
To plan for that, the town council has put the following fiscal policies in place: consistently carry an operating fund balance of 100%+ of our recurring expenses, save 25% of all revenues each year, save every dollar over $10 million of construction sales taxes annually, and save every dollar over $5 million of our recurring revenues from our most volatile revenue sources annually building revenues and investment income (We use these savings to pay cash for infrastructure and pay off debt).
We have frozen our property taxes for the fourth year in a row, reducing the property taxes rate from $1.83 to $1.54 per $100 of assessed value, reduced the Town Center Sales Tax by 0.25%, eliminated the Streetlight Improvement District property taxes, and we continue to prioritize funding our public safety and town employees’ pension funds.
While being a relatively new town of 36 years young, it is incredible the community we have built. This rings true given the additional services and amenities provided while continuing to reduce the tax burden on our residents and stay within the conservative fiscal policies we have in place today and for councils to come. I take great pride in the work I have done with the councils I have worked with over the past 16 years. I am proud to call Queen Creek home.
Janet Perez News Editor | Queen Creek &
San Tan Valley
Meet Janet Janet Perez joined Independent Newsmedia as editor of the Queen Creek Independent and Florence Independent in 2020. She started her career in 1989 with the Gannett-owned El Paso Times. In 1992, she moved to Tempe and has worked in newspapers, magazines, radio and television. She left Arizona for three years to work at New Mexico State University and Baylor University before returning to work at Arizona State University. Missing the business, she went back to journalism in 2017.
Community: A long-time pet owner, she supports animal welfare causes.
Education: University of Texas at El Paso with a BA in journalism and a minor in political science.
Random Fact: She had a head full of random facts.
Hobbies: Reading, watching documentaries, cooking and playing with her dogs.
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