Maricopa supervisors approve IGAs with Buckeye and Arizona Board of Regents; Gates recuses on ASU items

Maricopa County supervisors voted to approve an intergovernmental agreement (IGA) with the City of Buckeye to reopen and manage the General Joe Foss shooting complex at Buckeye Hills Regional Park and approved two IGAs with the Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of Arizona State University to fund a Community Solutions program focused on health disparities in South Phoenix.

The agreements were approved during a regular meeting of the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors. Supervisor Christian Gallardo moved to approve the Buckeye IGA and the two ASU-related IGAs; Supervisor Clint Hickman seconded the motions. Supervisor Gates announced he would recuse from items two and three (the ASU items) before those votes were taken. All motions carried.

Why it matters: The Buckeye IGA clears the way for a previously closed county shooting facility to reopen after lead remediation and other assessments, restoring a regulated public shooting range and a training site for law-enforcement. The ASU agreements fund a multi-year Community Solutions effort intended to study and address health disparities in South Phoenix, directing university research and public-health partnership activity in the area.

General Joe Foss shooting complex: supervisors say remediation, partnership will permit reopening

Supervisors said the county took a cautious approach before reopening the Joe Foss shooting complex, undertaking environmental assessments and repairs before negotiating a management agreement with the City of Buckeye. "They wanted it open. We're getting it open, as we promised," Supervisor Christian Gallardo said during the meeting, adding that the county shut the facility, completed safety assessments and then entered discussions with Buckeye.

Supervisor Clint Hickman, who seconded the motion on the Buckeye IGA, described outreach to Buckeye officials and work by county staff. "I specifically talked to the mayor of Buckeye, encouraging them, and I was very encouraged that they came right to it and said, 'hey, this is something good for the taxpayer,'" Hickman said. County staff member Jen Pikorski was thanked by supervisors for leading the remediation and intergovernmental discussions.

The supervisors said the agreement will allow Buckeye to use the range for law-enforcement training and will reopen scheduled public access to a regulated shooting facility rather than leave shooting activity unregulated. The board did not specify exact reopening dates or the financial terms of the IGA during the discussion; those details were not specified in the meeting record.

ASU Community Solutions funding and IGAs: five‑year research and health-disparities work in South Phoenix

Supervisors approved an intergovernmental arrangement with the Arizona Board of Regents on behalf of Arizona State University to support a Community Solutions program focused on health-related issues in South Phoenix. The motion's sponsor said the program will help develop a five-year plan to study health disparities and to identify public-health and health-care interventions for the area.

"This is one of the programs from District 5, Community Solutions, and it really is focusing on health related issues, particularly out in South Phoenix," Supervisor Gallardo said. He and other supervisors referenced COVID-era data showing concentrated impacts in parts of South Phoenix and said the ASU partnership will support research and planning to address those disparities.

Before the ASU votes, the board recorded that Supervisor Gates would recuse himself from both items two and three. The meeting record does not include the recusal rationale. Supervisors thanked county staff and Arizona State University for completing the paperwork and said they expect further public reporting as the research advances. Specific budgets, grant amounts, reporting timelines and contract terms were not specified during the discussion.

Votes at a glance

- IGA with City of Buckeye: motion to approve carried (mover: Supervisor Christian Gallardo; second: Supervisor Clint Hickman). Financial terms and effective date not specified in the meeting record.

- Community Solutions funding (Arizona Board of Regents / ASU) — item two: motion to approve carried (mover: Supervisor Christian Gallardo; second: Supervisor Clint Hickman). Supervisor Gates recused. Funding amount and reporting schedule not specified.

- IGA with Arizona Board of Regents (ASU) — item three: motion to approve carried (mover: Supervisor Christian Gallardo; second: Supervisor Clint Hickman). Supervisor Gates recused. Contract details not specified.

What the board did not decide or specify

The board approved the IGAs on their consent/discussion calendar but did not provide complete contract text, dollar amounts or firm implementation dates during the public remarks recorded in the transcript. Supervisors asked no detailed policy or budget questions on the record; staff were thanked for finalizing paperwork and were expected to carry forward implementation tasks.

Looking ahead

Supervisors said they expect county staff and partner agencies to follow up with implementation steps. The meeting record shows the board approved the agreements and directed staff to finalize implementation, with no further board action recorded at that time.