Mayor Joshua Rivero outlines Parker’s 2026 priorities, cites $833 million in recent construction and new public‑safety hires

Mayor Joshua Rivero delivered Parker’s 2026 State of the Town address, reviewing 2025 accomplishments, outlining six council strategic priorities and previewing major projects and programs for the year ahead. He noted voters approved five charter corrections in a November special election and repeated that town leadership will focus on infrastructure, public safety, downtown revitalization and civic engagement.

Rivero said Parker’s population stood at 72,147 as of Jan. 1, 2026, and that the town recorded about $833 million in construction activity last year. "At 44 years old, our town has plenty to be proud of," Rivero said, citing new safety initiatives (a K‑9 patrol, 10 sworn officers and a reintroduced traffic unit) and capital projects such as the Dransdelft Road extension, Parker Road North improvements and O’Brien Park landscaping.

Why it matters: Rivero framed the strategic priorities as the council’s roadmap for budgeting and planning, stressing that the 2050 comprehensive plan will guide redevelopment and infill as Parker approaches buildout. He said projects expected this year include roadway widenings (Lincoln and Jordan), a 20‑Mi. Road bridge replacement, the Strow Road four‑lane partnership, and a planned slip ramp from E‑470 to improve access to Parker Road and 20 Mile.

Economic development and small businesses were central themes. Rivero described a new Parker Launchpad program to guide entrepreneurs through permitting and business openings, an education series and a Business Improvement Grant system. He also said the town updated its mobile business code to ease operations for food trucks and other mobile vendors by removing an older requirement that forced vendors to move regularly and by expanding signage allowances.

Rivero promoted utility and private‑sector partnerships to support growth, praising CORE (Flexential) for helping meet data‑center demand and contrasting that with other utilities’ limited immediate capacity. He also highlighted the expansion of AdventHealth Parker and arrival of new retailers including Whole Foods and Trader Joe’s as anchors for downtown economic activity.

Public safety and emergency management were emphasized as operational priorities. Rivero said the town will add 8.5 full‑time public‑safety positions this year — including one deputy chief, two school‑resource officers, two dispatch technicians and one full‑time victim advocate — and promoted internal promotions for Deputy Chief Chris Peters and Commander Jake Schustster. He also described steps to strengthen emergency preparedness, including hiring an emergency operations manager and switching from Code Red to a countywide Doug Co Alert system for timely alerts.

On capital financing, Rivero said the town paid for the town‑hall expansion in cash using one‑time COVID sales‑tax revenues collected during pandemic years and that the chambers area is undergoing a refit. He invited residents to review the open budget materials online and to contact council members with questions.

Rivero closed by announcing Parker’s 45th anniversary events for 2026, naming contest winner Kira Parker for the anniversary logo and thanking staff and regional partners who work with the town on transportation, housing and other initiatives. "Together, we are all Parker proud," he said.

The town will continue council meetings at Parker Water while chambers are renovated; Rivero said refreshments would follow the event and encouraged residents to participate in civic programs such as the civic academy and the Aging Well in Parker senior study.