Buckeye reports $6.6M MAG grant for Miller Road; BLM land acquisition and infrastructure updates highlighted

City Manager Roderick told the City Council on July 1 that the legislature approved and the governor signed what staff referred to as the "Ag to Urban Bill," which staff described as supporting the citys water-use planning.

Roderick said the city is working with the Bureau of Land Management on acquisition of roughly 640 acres on the east side of Skyline Park adjacent to Verrado; staff said a response from BLM was expected shortly.

On grant activity, Roderick reported that city staff had secured seven new grants including a $6,600,000 award from the Maricopa Association of Governments (MAG) for widening Miller Road. He summarized recent grant performance by saying the grants team has brought in substantial funding over recent years and, after a clarification exchange on the dais, stated the total as "39,000,000" including the new award.

Roderick also highlighted other accomplishments and projects: the procurement team received a 2025 Achievement of Excellence in Procurement award; Roosevelt Street is open between Verrado and Jackrabbit; a traffic signal at Southern Apache has been installed and will be energized shortly; and the first GEO bond project—paver reconstruction in Festival—is underway with completion expected by mid-August.

During the meeting Mayor Osborne and other council members asked for clarification on the grants total; after an initial figure cited as about $3.9 million over three years, Roderick corrected the record to $39,000,000 including the $6.6 million MAG award.

No formal council action was required that evening on these informational items; they were presented as updates during the city managers report.