[{"_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",6544420,"mediaKeyId","3667293-0d550ff5e572b59e011deb774b58e7c8","parentId",3667293,"title","Residents urge Queen Creek to save Painting Wonderland, say rapid development risks local small businesses","audioSeconds",607,"startMs",1634000,"endMs",2241000,"viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=3667293-0d550ff5e572b59e011deb774b58e7c8&start=1634&end=2241","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3667293-0d550ff5e572b59e011deb774b58e7c8/thumbnail_1634000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6544420/Queen-Creek/Maricopa-County/Arizona/Residents-urge-Queen-Creek-to-save-Painting-Wonderland-say-rapid-development-risks-local-small-businesses","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6544420-4fa7e9f1eb90023156e3fc52d7e3c232/orig.mp4?Expires=1771171770&Signature=Qcfp7Jt24FTYD3TUwJY2TSlgN5SXGjY1YHxo6QVKJxGdNJxzp0TLp9lKrUMKuNnnGXEAS~S5g6KopXQIYB3Wk5x-0XLKfgRaz8fwswMuEb6CIZISZx8Syeb0FV6N90eLjKv5ftKjIpKleJfJMAgroc33mM6FE4xrvmAs91NW9V2JsLPh3cLywg-YCtIt7-c~UljplTxYihD8dm5gAbYFRHefIhWqncVUQDmZiGAAoa46S7nuLT~ONfe8NBILh7H5rVe8InivV78mmJeFxwsh97xndhYG6aae04yY6q2NHBte9~EOtH0TRelUfH9Qx69i2ZY4927jHFnXGybOrE1XpA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Queen Creek","date","2025-06-04T00:00:00Z","article","Three residents used the public-comment period at the Queen Creek Town Council meeting to urge the council to take action to prevent the displacement of Painting Wonderland, a ceramic and art studio that speakers said has served the community for eight years.

Annalisa Farrar (22249 S. Ellsworth Road) told the council she and \"over a thousand undersigned\" petitioners ask the town to \"take immediate action to prevent the displacement or destruction of Painting Wonderland,\" which she said has hosted birthday parties, school programs, workshops for seniors and other community activities. \"Removing or relocating this studio undercuts not only the economic livelihood of several dedicated small business owners, but also strips Queen Creek residents of a valuable, creative, and communal resource,\" Farrar said.

Linda Doty (20379 E. Appaloosa Drive) said she has lived in Queen Creek seven years and warned that \"overaggressive growth\" and big-box development threaten the town's character. \"When these large corporations, the developers, the contractors ... become the biggest part of our town, we've lost our community,\" Doty said.

Misty McFadden (21557 S. 200th Place) said she had shared social-media posts supporting Painting Wonderland and described broad online attention to the issue: \"I think it was like 3,000,000 views on that video and ... a hundred and something shares,\" she said. McFadden, a long-time resident and business owner, proposed relocating several beloved local businesses to a centralized downtown space to preserve them amid new development.

Mayor Wheatley and council members did not take action during public comment. Meeting procedure was reiterated at the start of the session: under Arizona law, the council may not respond, discuss or take action on issues not on the published agenda during the public-comment period. The speakers said they planned petitions and social-media outreach; no formal town response or staff directive to research relocation or preservation was recorded in the meeting minutes.

The public-comments block ended with the mayor asking whether there were additional speakers; none were queued.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","Queen Creek - Town Council Regular Session - Jun 04, 2025","oneSentenceSummary","Three residents urged the council to prevent the displacement of Painting Wonderland, a local ceramic and art studio, citing a petition of more than 1,000 signers and widespread social-media attention.","taxTitle","Queen Creek, Maricopa County, Arizona","taxId",2212,"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},6544425,"Queen Creek council sets primary property tax levy at $14.8 million for FY 2025-26",1610,2239000,3849000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=3667293-0d550ff5e572b59e011deb774b58e7c8&start=2239&end=3849","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/3667293-0d550ff5e572b59e011deb774b58e7c8/thumbnail_2239000.jpg","/articles/6544425/Queen-Creek/Maricopa-County/Arizona/Queen-Creek-council-sets-primary-property-tax-levy-at-148-million-for-FY-2025-26","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6544425-e046cfc8ad2b3daba22c8c06b2d0ef66/orig.mp4?Expires=1771171770&Signature=GZ7lWZYxCHhj3I8mj6vR~C38KrsDvADqdDqELAMwpJKo7M-ZP9we3KK4i0b~pGa4JUwJHNzrs0ylTiTuNAIjkuQavdw0CNfxVqfc6enxEITICerYbYKkq2QsqTwzbbRq47MVA7OaF5y5nVEaznGzq~9DFrIcYUSLU2vtBZ~EuuufvSGI3ftUVCVcCh4SdXDK4Ac94PldK~P~~Pd5dn-UtIDLKG5y9m7o2s~mhX6wjqTRXasgMUkMfcJBtEbBsDYiqE5Ku7eg~Ks7NeAKyZOZBehBmsDKsz9dZP1I8-kL9Ovdxbzm4OA7ovMfLmH5K1UqYd398LOxB1PXktwX8QPzHA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","The Queen Creek Town Council adopted Ordinance 865-25 at its meeting to fix the town's primary property tax levy at $14,800,000 for fiscal year 2025-26, the third year of a five-year property tax freeze.

Deputy Town Manager and Chief Financial Officer Scott McCarty told the council the vote is the final step in the budget process that begins July 1. \"The action in front of you tonight is the last step of the fiscal year 25 26 budget,\" McCarty said, adding the levy pays a portion of police and fire services. He explained the town's property tax yield represents about 8% of the town's operating budget and \"equals about 18% of the cost to provide [police and fire] services.\" McCarty said the town's assessed value has grown roughly 12% this year, driven by the 5% statutory cap on limited property value increases and new construction, producing an assessed value near $956 million used for the levy calculation.

McCarty outlined the council's five-year freeze on the primary levy and its effect on rates: the statutory maximum levy is $1.95 per $100 of assessed value; the council set the levy at $1.55 per $100 for the coming year under the freeze. He described how the freeze works mathematically: as assessed values rise under state law, the town lowers the levy rate so that existing taxpayers generally pay the same dollar amount while new construction generates incremental revenue.

Mayor Wheatley praised the council's multi-year approach. \"It really is remarkable, something that we have really fine tuned, over the last few years to be able to do this for our residents,\" she said. Councilmember McClure moved adoption of the ordinance; Councilmember Benning seconded. Maria, the clerk, called the roll; Vice Mayor Martineau and Councilmember Brown were recorded as voting yes; the mayor announced the ordinance passed unanimously.

Votes at a glance: the council approved Ordinance 865-25 (primary property tax levy for FY 2025-26) by unanimous vote. At the meeting the council also approved the consent agenda in two motions: an initial consent motion that passed unanimously and a subsequent motion for remaining consent items that passed 5-1 (Councilmember Padilla recorded a no vote on that second consent motion).

No additional changes to the levy or to the five-year freeze were made at the meeting. Staff presentation materials described the mechanics of assessed value versus limited property value, the county assessor's role in setting valuations, and the distribution of property-tax dollars to other jurisdictions such as school districts.","The Town Council adopted Ordinance 865-25 to set the town's primary property tax levy at $14,800,000 for fiscal year 2025-26, the third year of a five-year property tax freeze. Council approved the ordinance unanimously.","actionData","errors"]

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Residents urge Queen Creek to save Painting Wonderland, say rapid development risks local small businesses

Queen Creek council sets primary property tax levy at $14.8 million for FY 2025-26