My next monthly Community Meetings will be at 10 a.m. on September 26 at The Grand in the Agua Fria Room, 17100 W. Clearview Blvd., and at 10 a.m. on September 29 at Arizona Traditions in the Ballroom, 17221 N. Citrus Rd. These meetings will provide information on the upcoming Bond Election. I look forward to also discussing the latest City news and answering any questions you have.
Chimichanga Challenge for Charity
On Friday, July 28, Mayor Skip Hall, Vice Mayor Chris Judd, Councilmember Duffy and I joined Police Chief Benny Pina and Fire Chief Brenden Espie as well as members of both departments to cheer on their competitors in the first-ever Surprise Chimichanga Challenge!
Congratulations to our champion, Police Sergeant Severin Hall! Sgt. Hall generously donated his prize of 12 FREE Macayo's meals to the Surprise Human Service & Community Vitality (HSCV) Department. These meals will be distributed to individuals in need within our community, providing nourishment to those facing challenges and hardships.
Macayo’s Mexican Food restaurant graciously donated 36 additional meals to HSCV on behalf of the other four contestants who attempted the challenge: Police Officer Shaun McGonigle, Firefighter Robert Guice and Firefighter Alex Salazar.
Big thanks to Macayo's Restaurants and Kind Hospitality for the delicious five-pound chimi's and for hosting this amazing event!
Career and Technical Education Award
On behalf of City Council, Mayor Skip Hall accepted the “Policymaker of the Year” award from the Association for Career and Technical Education at the City Council meeting on Tuesday, August 1. The award was presented by West-MEC Superintendent Stephen Weltsch and Dysart Schools Career and Technical Education Director Jim Grieshaber.
The award acknowledged the City’s efforts in championing Career and Technical Education (CTE). Some of those efforts include providing space for local CTE programs at community career and training fairs, providing scholarships for CTE programs with Estrella Mountain Community College and West-MEC, and including CTE training sites in the City’s rideshare program to provide safe transportation for $1 per ride.
Top Golf Fundraiser Trophy
Connie Whitlock, executive director and founder of WHAM, presented the WHAM Fifth Annual Top Golf Fundraiser “Mayor’s Trophy” to Mayor Hall’s team, captained by Vice Mayor Chris Judd, at the August 1 City Council Meeting.
D'lux Décor & Creations Ribbon Cutting
Monday, August 21, Mayor Skip Hall, Vice Mayor Chris Judd and I joined owners Edith & Guillermo Carrasco of D'lux Décor & Creations in celebrating their grand opening and ribbon cutting ceremony! Also in attendance, on behalf of Congresswoman Debbie Lesko, was Tyler Mastin, Constituent Services Representative. D'lux Décor & Creations offers balloon decorations, floral arrangements, chocolate treats, custom gifts and more! Located at 14955 W. Bell Rd., #7265, get everything you need for your special person or celebration all in one stop. Welcome to Surprise!
Surprise Day of Service
Volunteer at St. Mary’s Food Bank to help provide food for families in need on Wednesday, September 13.
Maricopa County is hosting a Back-to-School Vaccine Event on Monday, September 18 from 2 - 6 p.m. This event will be at the Surprise Senior Center, 15832 N. Hollyhock St. Bring your child's vaccine record and insurance card if you have it. Everyone is welcome, whether you have insurance or not. No out-of-pocket cost!
Hiring Event in Surprise
Meet more than a dozen West Valley employers! The City of Surprise and ARIZONA@WORK are hosting a free hiring event on Thursday, September 21, from 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. at Surprise Regional Library, 16089 N. Bullard Ave. Prospective candidates should come to the event ready for potential onsite interviews and possible job offers. More information available at: http://bit.ly/3P7VI9L
Surprise Career Development Scholarships
If you live or work in Surprise, or have graduated from a Surprise area school in the last two years… you are eligible for a scholarship and there's still time to start this fall! West-MEC and Estrella Mountain Community College are offering high-demand certificate programs in dental assisting or applied technologies. Apply for your Surprise Career Development Fund scholarship today! Visit surpriseaz.gov/scholarships
Neighborhood Grant Program
Surprise City Council approved funding to support the Neighborhood Grant Program that provides eligible neighborhoods with small grants to fund neighborhood events, functions or community improvements. Recognizing an opportunity to encourage community engagement and further build strong relationships with communities in Surprise, the City designated $10,000 to support the grant program for FY24.
To be considered, projects must meet the following program criteria:
Provide a public benefit
Result in a product, which benefits a neighborhood or the larger Surprise community
Be feasible for completion by June 2024
Involve the benefiting neighborhood in project identification, planning and execution
Emphasize neighborhood self-help; or be educational, community-building or a public physical improvement
Nonprofit 501(c)3 organizations are ineligible
Additionally, a minimum of five neighbors within the residential area must sign the application and support the idea; neighborhoods governed by a homeowner association must have HOA approval, if required.
Surprise residential and business water customers can take advantage of several rebate programs offered through May 2024. Learn more about incentives to become more water-conscious and apply today!
Bond Election Proposes Transportation & Public Safety Projects; Community Meetings Planned
On November 7, residents will have the opportunity to decide whether or not to allow the City to issue bond funding for transportation and public safety projects intended to decrease traffic congestion, increase traffic safety and maintain public safety levels of service and response times. No tax rate increase is expected if voters approve the bonds, due to significant residential and commercial growth across Surprise.
The City will be kicking off community meetings about the 2023 Bond Election, and residents are invited to come learn details and ask questions. You can attend my regularly scheduled Community Meetings on September 26 & 29, or attend other events being held citywide. All meeting dates, times and locations will be posted soon to surpriseaz.gov/BOND. The website also includes details on the cost, projects and election. If you are looking for ways to help spread the word about the bond, please check out the flyer in the ‘Informational Resources’ section of the Bond website.
Make sure to register to vote by October 10! You can register at elections.maricopa.gov.
Proposition 400E Will Go to Voters in ‘24
In August, Governor Hobbs signed Senate Bill 1102, which allows voters to decide whether or not to extend Proposition 400 – a 20-year, half-cent sales tax that provides funding for our region’s multimodal transportation plan. Proposition 400 is set to expire in 2025, unless voters approve a 20-year extension in the 2024 election.
Over the last five years, Maricopa Association of Governments, with input from local businesses, organizations and the public, programmed our City’s most critical projects into the Proposition 400 extension plan. Those projects include the full build out of interchanges at Loop 303/US 60 and Loop 303/Litchfield Road, amongst other projects.
Thank you to Governor Katie Hobbs, the Arizona State Legislature and Maricopa County mayors for your leadership and commitment to investing in transportation infrastructure and your work to help get the proposition onto the ballot!
Arts & Culture Events
Are you ready to discover arts and culture events in Surprise? From theater performances, gallery tours, poetry readings and more, the City offers a number of events throughout the year. Here’s what’s coming up the next couple months:
‘Arizona Plein Air Painters’ Exhibition at Surprise City Hall August 25 - October 27 • 8 a.m. - 5 p.m., Monday - Friday
16000 N. Civic Center Plz.
A statewide fellowship of artists who paint outdoors. The APAP Members Show features paintings that document and celebrate the beauty and diversity of the Arizona landscape, including human made cityscapes that dot our state. This is a group exhibit from 30+ artists.
AZ Speaks - “Flying through Arizona: The Story of the First National Women’s Air Race” by Natalie J. Stewart-Smith September 11 • 11 a.m. - 12 p.m.
16000 N. Civic Center Plz.
Register for AZ Speaks presented by Arizona Humanities: surpriseaz.gov/artssignup
See upcoming events online at surpriseaz.gov/arts. For text or email alerts regarding City of Surprise Arts & Culture events, please visit surpriseaz.gov/subscribe, create an account and select Surprise Arts & Culture notifications.
Surprise SciTech Festival
The City of Surprise celebrates science, technology, engineering, art and mathematics (STEAM) efforts in the community by holding an annual SciTech Festival. This free, fun-filled educational event features interactive exhibits and demonstrations. Technology, and our daily interactions with it, continue to grow exponentially. Surprise embraces these new trends and the businesses that create new products and services. More information: surpriseaz.gov/scitech
City Council Meetings
The next regularly scheduled Council meeting is September 19 at 6 p.m. You can watch live on surpriseaz.gov/surprisetv, the Surprise City Gov Facebook page at facebook.com/cityofsurprise or on Cox channel 11.
