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Glendale Prop. 499, one of several local measures in the Phoenix area

Pabio November 5, 2024

West Valley voters will head to the polls Tuesday to decide a handful of races for local council seats. Many contests were settled in the July 30 primary election.

Only one of those races, for Buckeye’s District 2 seat, demanded a runoff in Tuesday’s elections. Newcomers Jamaine Berry and Ryan Belshee failed to secure a majority of votes over the summer.

And even if Peoria had three seats up for election this cyclehe pushed two of the races to the general election after only one candidate in each — Rick Stokes and incumbent council member Jon Edwards — qualified to appear on the ballot. Voters in the Ironwood and Willow districts will decide their representatives on the Peoria City Council.

2024 election: View Arizona election results | Live coverage throughout Election Day

As for ballot measures, West Valley voters have a few city-specific measures available for voters in Buckeye, Glendale, Peoria and Tolleson.

Buckeye has two, Propositions 494 and 495, while Glendale, Peoria and Tolleson each have one.

Buckeye proposals will ask voters if they want to approve the city’s first general obligation bond in nearly 40 years. The nearly $300 million bond package would fund a number of public safety and street improvement projects. It would be financed by a secondary property tax.

In Glendale, there is Proposition 499, which seeks to give hospitality workers a minimum wage of $20 an hour.

In Peoria, Proposition 496 aims to establish a new franchise contract between the city and Epcor Water Arizona Inc., which wishes to maintain and operate certain water and wastewater utilities.

And in Tolleson, voters will be asked whether they want to approve the Home Rule option, which determines how the city’s spending limit is established.

Buckeye City Council

After coming close to the July 30 primary election, District 2 newcomers Jamaine Berry and Ryan Belshee are headed to a runoff.

Tony Youngker also ran unopposed in District 1 and newcomer Curtis Beard narrowly defeated incumbent Michelle Hess in District 3. Buckeye Mayor Eric Orsborn also ran unopposed for another mandate.

In District 2, Berry led by a comfortable margin, but did not receive enough votes to avoid a runoff.

Berry and Belshee told The Arizona Republic they are ready to ramp up their campaign in the coming months, going door to door and hosting events for the public to meet them and ask questions.

District 2 represents much of the southern part of Buckeye, including downtown Buckeye. The city is currently working to revitalize downtown, although not all residents are happy with the renovations made so far.

Buckeye is trying to secure a guaranteed water supply to continue its booming growth, especially in a number of huge master-planned communities at the far ends of the Phoenix metro area. It is also trying to create jobs and shopping opportunities and create a sense of place in its historic downtown.

The next council will also work to ease one of the Valley’s most exhausting commutes by finding transportation alternatives to Interstate 10.

Peoria City Council

Voters in two of Peoria’s districts, Ironwood and Willow, have uncontested municipal elections on their ballots Tuesday.

Rick Stokes, a U.S. Air Force veteran who runs an IT services company, is running unopposed for the Ironwood seat, while council member Jon Edwards is almost certain to keep his Willow seat for a fourth consecutive term.

Both are allies of Mayor Jason Beck and his agenda to develop the north side of Peoria as an innovation and technology corridor, complete with an airport park.

Both men face challenges from write-in candidates who strongly oppose the airport project.

Longtime candidates are hoping to capitalize on that no-airport sentiment, which helped lead Council Member-elect Matt Bullock to victory in the Mesquite district in the July 30 primary election.

Homer Landreth, a controls systems engineer and independent contractor, is running for the Ironwood District seat, and Angeli Wesson, a certified hypnotherapist, is running for the Willow seat.

Electoral measures to decide on minimum wage and obligations

Proposition 494 (Buckeye)

Buckeye voters will decide whether they want the city to issue a $137 million bond for public safety projects, with the goal of improving response times as the city continues to grow.

The bond, which would be funded by a secondary property tax, would help the city with projects such as a new $97 million public safety headquarters and a new $30 million training center for city personnel. public safety.

It would also fund the construction of two new fire stations: a $21 million one in Westpark and another $19 million in Victory.

Residents can calculate how much the deposit will cost them via the the city website.

Proposition 495 (Buckeye)

With the second bond question, Buckeye voters will be asked if they want the city to issue a $145 million streets and transportation bond. The objective of this obligation is to improve road safety, improve traffic flow and accelerate the construction of transport.

The bond would fund several street improvement projects.

A $50 million project will eliminate pinch points across the city. Widening parts of Indian School Road would cost an additional $48 million.

The bond would also fund adding lighting to portions of Sun Valley Parkway, located near Tartesso and which is the site of some upcoming residential projects. It will cost the city $11 million.

The bond will also be funded by a secondary property tax. Residents can calculate how much the deposit will cost them via the the city website.

Proposition 496 (Peoria)

Peoria will decide whether the city should enter into a franchise agreement with Epcor Water Arizona Inc. to maintain and operate certain water and wastewater services.

The utility provider currently provides water to 2,200 customers in parts of Peoria under a 2010 franchise agreement, which expires in September 2025.

Epcor plans to renew this agreement for another 25 years.

If voters approve the new franchise agreement under Proposition 496, Epcor Water Arizona will retain its rights to construct, maintain and operate the water and wastewater utilities that distribute water to its Peoria-based clients.

Proposition 499 (Glendale)

Glendale voters are being asked whether the minimum wage for hotel and event center workers should be raised to $20 an hour, nearly $6 more than the statewide minimum of $14.35. the state.

Proposition 499, the “Hotel and Event Center Minimum Wage Protection Act” will impose sweeping protections and regulations to enforce the new wage.

If it passes, Glendale hospitality industry employees will earn at least $20 an hour then receive annual cost-of-living raises.

The measure will also impose limits on the number of rooms hoteliers can clean in a day before doubling their wages, establish a local labor standards agency and give workers all service fees, such as tips, that hotels and places perceive from customers.

Worker Power, the political action committee that proposed Proposition 499, believes that higher wages will boost local economies because workers will have greater purchasing power at the checkout and disposable income to spend on goods and services in their communities.

Opponents, including the local hotel industry and other business communities, called the measure a job killer, saying it would force hotels and establishments to downsize. They will also likely pass on increased labor costs to customers by increasing rates and room rates.

Question (Tolleson)

Simply appearing on the ballot as a “question,” Tolleson voters will decide whether to adopt a self-governing option, which refers to how the city’s spending limit is established .

Tolleson is currently operating under the Home Rule option, with voters last approving it in 2020.

Home Rule provides an alternative to state-imposed spending limits, allowing cities to have more control over their finances.

The state’s spending limitation is determined by a state formula that does not take into account city revenue or services. With Home Rule, the city council is able to determine what services the city needs.

If Home Rule isn’t approved, the city won’t be able to spend revenue collected by things like the police and fire department. As a result, he would be forced to reduce his funds even if he had the necessary money.

The deadline to register on the electoral lists and be able to participate in the election was October 7. Voters can check their status at Maricopa County Website. Those who choose to vote by mail can still drop off a ballot at a drop-off or voting location before November 5. Polling stations close at 7 p.m.

The county elections office does not expect to know final unofficial results for at least 10 days, but will periodically update early results. The first batch is expected one hour after polling stations close.

This article will be updated as election results become available.

Shawn Raymundo covers the West Valley cities of Glendale, Peoria and Surprise. Contact him at [email protected] or follow him on X @ShawnzyTsunami.

Contact the journalist at [email protected] or by phone at 480-259-8545. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @AlexandraHardle.

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Glendale Prop. 499, one of several local measures in the Phoenix area

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