[{"_1":2,"_87":-5,"_88":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,75],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":46,"_47":48,"_49":50,"_51":52,"_53":54,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":60,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":66,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},"mediaId",6122879,"mediaKeyId","2693802-fc20ea51f52313268f7ffb6648ad2a01","parentId",2693802,"title","Surprise council gives informal direction to post 0.5534 property‑tax rate for FY26 budget","audioSeconds",2553,"startMs",443000,"endMs",2996000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2693802-fc20ea51f52313268f7ffb6648ad2a01&start=443&end=2996","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2693802-fc20ea51f52313268f7ffb6648ad2a01/thumbnail_443000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6122879/Surprise/Maricopa-County/Arizona/Surprise-council-gives-informal-direction-to-post-05534-propertytax-rate-for-FY26-budget","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6122879-0f35ff312b22e783cff746d3890b25ee/orig.mp4?Expires=1771180833&Signature=jXuQcdzgAD4ZIxypVW1FJKlB4LddckAdLMIbU8HcHsL8izAoSJZ~mO~wxyQBRMLNUjJY-GCAjUEHeVDe~SIlP3V5ZxoniBW3OHqM9PqSFCFlfEIlElt0hqYxXzSM3YlQ6ObyYWzsM6EGKhAYPVqdCAMaMNQ6j2Cdqm7PHwR70baIcVleiKO6rNfaWF1PTMhuKXqL6zStc-6X4gAirZ-K3QBawSjyEOrhchYneDY5KWIPcnzPH24EUoX4Jji42ThxAHXEuvDd8n03Q1xfh~wN5KmSiS~ElBaULkFmulfTSflX5k7M-XCZh7RJb-RiHTJsa6Uq1ToiiYbMDHEd-hDwgQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Surprise, AZ","date","2025-02-18T00:00:00Z","article","At a Feb. 18 Surprise City Council work session, councilmembers gave staff informal direction to post a property‑tax rate equal to the “keep levy plus growth” option — 0.5534 — for inclusion in the city’s fiscal 2026 budget, with formal adoption of the rate to occur at public hearings in June.

The discussion anchored a broader budget overview that finance staff provided, laying out that Surprise’s draft “billion‑dollar” budget includes about $415,000,000 in operating expenditures, a $137,000,000 contingency ceiling and about $11,000,000 in annual debt service. Staff told the council the general fund is roughly $260,000,000 and enterprise funds about $64,000,000; sales tax is the single largest general‑fund revenue source.

Why it matters: property‑tax choices determine how much new revenue the city captures from growth and reassessments. Staff illustrated with a worked example: for a $300,000 assessed valuation a homeowner would pay roughly $170 a year under current assumptions, with about $90 of that attributed to public safety and smaller shares to streets, community development and parks.

Budget process and options

Andrea (staff) and Sandy (staff) led the overview. Andrea explained that state rules and the county assessor’s abstract drive valuation changes and that the council’s choice now is procedural direction so staff can build a balanced FY26 proposal. Andrea said the city can post a higher rate and later adopt a lower rate if circumstances change: “Typically, you post high, you can always adopt something lower.” The staff presentation reiterated the city’s practice of matching one‑time revenue to one‑time capital needs and prioritizing operating asks against projected revenue.

Council debate

Councilmembers voiced three main positions. Several members argued for holding the levy so long as core services remain funded: Councilmember Haney and Councilmember Duffy both emphasized protecting public safety and transportation investments before making deeper tax cuts. Vice Mayor Hastings and Councilmember Judd expressed support for the keep‑levy‑plus‑growth approach as a way to hold most residents’ bills flat while not foregoing revenue from new development. Councilmember Greenberg urged caution and recommended waiting to see possible state actions that could reduce shared revenue; he called special attention to pending state bills that could affect the city’s income‑tax and corporate‑tax receipts.

State uncertainty and staff guidance

Staff noted several state legislative proposals under consideration that could reduce state shared revenues or change income‑tax distributions; Jody (staff) summarized potential income‑tax reduction proposals and warned those bills were evolving. Andrea told the council the posted rate would be incorporated into the FY26 calendar and that formal adoption would occur in June if the council approved it then. The staff timeline noted the tentative statutory budget adoption date of May 6 and property‑tax public hearings planned for June 3 and June 17.

Next steps and limits

Council members settled on informal guidance to staff to proceed with the “keep levy plus growth” posting (0.5534) for budgeting purposes and asked staff to return with the formal truth‑in‑taxation materials and the final FY26 budget for action in the May–June schedule. Staff emphasized that the direction at the work session was not a formal adopted rate; formal adoption and any required notices will follow later in the public process.

Ending

Staff will post the 0.5534 rate for budget construction and return to council for the statutory hearings and final adoption. Councilmembers asked staff to continue prioritizing public safety and transportation when allocating limited general‑fund resources.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Regular City Council Work Session - February 18, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","At a Feb. 18 Surprise City Council work session, councilmembers gave staff informal direction to post a property‑tax rate equal to the “keep levy plus growth” option — 0.5534 — for inclusion in the city’s fiscal 2026 budget, with formal adoption scheduled for June.","taxTitle","Surprise, Maricopa County, Arizona","taxId",2566,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":76,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":77,"_41":78,"_43":79,"_45":80,"_47":81,"_49":82,"_51":83,"_53":84,"_55":56,"_57":58,"_59":85,"_61":62,"_63":64,"_65":86,"_67":68,"_69":70,"_71":68,"_72":73,"_74":73},6122874,"Surprise outlines $100M+ in roadway construction, signals and school‑safety upgrades",2767,3038000,5805000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2693802-fc20ea51f52313268f7ffb6648ad2a01&start=3038&end=5805","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2693802-fc20ea51f52313268f7ffb6648ad2a01/thumbnail_3038000.jpg","/articles/6122874/Surprise/Maricopa-County/Arizona/Surprise-outlines-100M-in-roadway-construction-signals-and-schoolsafety-upgrades","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6122874-46feabb4326a8796a8759fe7e56d37e6/orig.mp4?Expires=1771180833&Signature=IdyhWgdeSXgA5YsBZyB3gMKaxfwtX0zVmffs0GGk7LzhOtWlVYt~dRucA8LENLCAmznUYiov4tYcd~QIHOibXCLZSkMziju3JxKqBKNDUml7eAjOvoALtaD7K9hiFIk9pw9~c~JLqRRpzgXSfQHmT~ahPuVhXBPWMY2LhmDXrCU5CWFl7gwK7c7VKYpELICTYD4YkFam29T~TuyDejd3OQpE1yGGiNRIrzaKyBMt0gMvzZbyhwduAR7J7QaWTTzq7Ed201X1MamTgxqA5yMuQDCsoCISa7kTXFFoqua0H7W-PoRls--IaXtYfWflYFamGSYwAIDJvctB5-9qjKrQ0A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","At a Feb. 18 Surprise City Council work session, the city’s transportation team presented an update showing more than $100 million in roadway work currently under construction, roughly $10 million in projects under design and about $7.5 million in signal projects underway or in design.

The presentation listed bond and developer projects across the city — including major widening and intersection work on Cactus Road, the 160th Avenue corridor, Happy Valley Road, Elm Street and Waddell Road — and identified regional highway improvements tied to ADOT and MAG such as interim US‑60 improvements and future grade separations at State Route 303 and 160th Avenue.

Why it matters: councilmembers emphasized the projects’ role in reducing congestion on east–west and north–south corridors, improving emergency access in the far north portion of the city, and addressing pedestrian and school‑zone safety where student crossings occur.

Key project highlights

Transportation staff (Eric) told the council the city currently has “over a hundred million dollars in roadway improvements under construction” and roughly $10 million in projects under design. Major items cited included:

- Cactus Road (Cotton Lane to Reems; “Big Cactus”) — full widening, signals, curb/gutter, sidewalks; construction began March 2024 with anticipated completion in December 2025.
- Cactus Road (Litchfield to BNSF; “Little Cactus”) — half mile widening and rail‑crossing safety work; construction started October 2024 and is expected to wrap by end of 2025.
- 160th Avenue corridor widening and intersection work — phased openings already delivered (a second lane to Pat Tillman opened in March 2024) and additional lanes feeding the Happy Valley signal were described as opening late March or early April.
- Elm Street developer‑led corridor improvements, and Waddell Road widening and other bond projects slated for design and 2027 construction starts depending on right‑of‑way and bond timing.

Regional coordination and costs

Staff described coordinated improvements at US‑60 and the SR‑303 interchange that were funded with state appropriations and noted the city has a sequence of ADOT/MAG projects affecting Surprise, including a US‑60/SR‑303 ultimate interchange and a 160th Avenue grade separation. Eric gave ballpark costs: a quarter‑mile emergency access project cost about $2 million; a half‑mile widening on Waddell was on the order of $8 million.

School‑zone and pedestrian safety

Councilmembers raised pedestrian and school‑crossing concerns in several neighborhoods. Councilmember Duffy pressed for stronger crossings near schools and said, “I don’t trust a kid to anticipate how fast 35 miles an hour is.” Staff described how school zones and crossing treatments follow Arizona Revised Statutes, ADOT guidance and MUTCD engineering judgment; staff also said they will explore pedestrian hawk signals and will follow up with Dysart Unified School District about crossing‑guard staffing and safe‑routes‑to‑school opportunities.

Operations and maintenance

The transportation update also covered routine work: the city’s pavement‑preservation program (crack sealing, resurfacing and reconstruction lane‑mile counts), traffic‑signal preventive maintenance, BlueStake utility marking for work near signals, and a high volume of approved traffic‑control plans tied to development and construction activity.

Ending

Councilmembers thanked staff for the update and urged continued coordination with ADOT and MAG as regional projects advance. Staff said they will return with project updates, timelines for bond projects and follow up on school‑crossing measures and any grant opportunities for safe‑routes work.","City staff told the council Surprise has more than $100 million in roadway projects under construction and highlighted design and construction timelines for major bond and regional projects, plus school‑zone and pedestrian safety work.","actionData","errors"]

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Surprise council gives informal direction to post 0.5534 property‑tax rate for FY26 budget

Surprise outlines $100M+ in roadway construction, signals and school‑safety upgrades