Queen Creek council adopts $628 million final FY26 budget; council reduces tentative total by $55 million

The Queen Creek Town Council held a public hearing on May 22, 2025, and then convened a special meeting to adopt the town's fiscal year 2026 final budget. The council voted unanimously to approve the final budget in the special session.

Council staff said the tentative budget approved at an earlier meeting was $682,700,000. During the finalization of the budget the council reduced that tentative total by $55,000,000, citing the timing of two capital transactions: the town's purchase of Harquahala water assets (closed the same day) and acquisition of land for a future park (referred to in the meeting as the Bridal land purchase). After those adjustments staff described the final budget as about $628,000,000 and said the reduction represented roughly a 13% decrease from the prior tentative figure.

Deputy Town Manager/CFO Scott McCarty and Town Manager Bruce Gardner presented the budget overview and tied the final budget to the recently adopted corporate strategic plan. Staff highlighted that roughly half of the budget is for capital and infrastructure (just over $300 million), and that the operating budget is approximately $187 million. McCarty noted that the tentative-to-final change reflects items on the capital improvement plan (CIP) side of the ledger.

The presentation detailed personnel and program changes planned for FY26: staff said the total budget includes 37 full-time equivalent (FTE) positions (most in the operating budget), with four new FTEs to establish an initial town attorney's office and other incremental additions in police, fire and transportation. Councilmember Brown clarified during the meeting that the cited 48% figure for FTEs applies to the operating budget, not to the total budget.

The budget package as presented preserves a property tax freeze and reflects updated impact fees that began May 12, 2025. Staff also said the town will conduct fee and rate studies for water, wastewater, solid waste and recycling during the upcoming year.

Council discussion included several points of emphasis and disagreement. Councilmember Padilla reiterated objections to the town's historical level of parks spending and said she continues to support eliminating the town's food sales tax. Councilmembers McClure and Vice Mayor Martineau praised the staff and the council's collaborative process. Several councilmembers stressed the importance of maintaining a 25% reserve policy and of forward-looking five-year planning for large capital projects such as a future police headquarters, parking garage and fleet maintenance facility.

The council completed the statutory two-step budget process required under Arizona law: the public hearing followed by adjournment to a special meeting where the final budget resolution was adopted.

Votes at a glance

- Consent agenda (minus item B2): motion by Councilmember McClure, second Vice Mayor Martineau; result: approved unanimously.

- Consent agenda item B2 (separated for discussion): motion by Councilmember Benning, second Councilmember Oliphant; result: approved 5-2 (tally reported by mayor; individual yes/no votes not read into the record at the time of the tally).

- Corporate strategic plan (final action item, addressed earlier in the meeting): motion by Councilmember Oliphant, second Councilmember Benning; result: approved unanimously.

- Resolution 16 30 nine-twenty 5 (adopting the FY26 final town budget): motion by Councilmember Brown, second Councilmember Benning; result: approved unanimously in the special meeting.

Staff said departments will convert the plan and the adopted budget into department-level workplans and implement the projects and studies cited in the presentation.