Buckeye approves $60,000 MOU with Buckeye Valley Chamber to expand business services

The City of Buckeye on July 1 approved a memorandum of understanding with the Buckeye Valley Chamber of Commerce that raises annual support from $50,000 in FY2025 to $60,000 for FY2026.

The added $10,000, city staff said, will fund expanded chamber services including support for a food festival, engagement with the Hispanic Chamber and a business leadership summit in addition to the chamber’s existing business ambassador programs, candidate forums, business advocacy and business retention and expansion efforts.

Susie Boyles, the city’s Economic Development Director, described the proposed MOU during the council meeting and summarized the change: “So it is a $10,000 increase to their current MOU. And everything that you saw in the scope of services on the previous slide is maintained. And in exchange for the $10,000 increase, they are adding the services you see up here.”

Council members moved and seconded approval of agenda item 5A; the council voted to approve the MOU unanimously. After the vote, Boyles noted chamber board members were present and thanked them for attending.

The agreement continues the city’s formal relationship with the chamber, which city staff said dates back to a verbal arrangement in 1988 and a formal MOU first executed in 2004–05. Under the FY2026 proposal the chamber will continue its prior scope of services while adding the new programming outlined by staff.

No ordinance or other binding policy change was reported; the action recorded at the meeting was approval of the FY2026 MOU and authorization for the City Manager to execute the agreement on behalf of the City of Buckeye.

The council took the vote during its regular session on July 1, 2025.