By james art 
West Valley voters head to the polls Tuesday to decide several races for local council seats. Many races were decided in the July 30 primary.
Only one of those races, for the Buckeye District 2 seat, required a runoff in Tuesday’s election. Newcomers Jamaine Berry and Ryan Belshee failed to get a majority of the vote in the summer.
And while Peoria had three seats up for election this cycle, it moved two of the races to the general election after one candidate in each — Rick Stokes and incumbent Councilman John Edwards — qualified to get on the ballot. Voters in Ironwood and Willow precincts will choose their representatives for the Peoria City Council.
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As for ballot measures, West Valley Voters has several city-specific measures for voters in Buckeye, Glendale, Peoria and Tolleson.
Buckeye has two, claims 494 and 495, while Glendale, Peoria and Tolleson each have one.
Buckeye’s proposals will ask voters if they want to approve the city’s first general bond in nearly 40 years. The nearly $300 million bond package will fund a number of public safety and street improvement projects. It will be funded 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 seeks to establish a new franchise agreement between the city and Epcor Water Arizona Inc., which wants to maintain and operate certain water and sewer facilities.
And in Tolleson, voters will be asked if they want to approve the home-rule option that determines how the city’s spending cap is set.
Buckeye City Council
After coming close in the July 30 primary, District 2 newcomers Jamaine Berry and Ryan Belshey are headed for a runoff.
Tony Youngker is also running unopposed in District 1, and newcomer Curtis Beard narrowly defeated incumbent Michelle Hess in District 3. Buckeye Mayor Eric Orsborn is also running unopposed for another term.
In District 2, Berry had a comfortable lead, but fell short of the vote to avoid a runoff.
Both Berry and Belshi told The Arizona Republic they are ready to ramp up their campaign in the coming months, going door-to-door and holding events for the public to meet them and ask questions.
District 2 represents much of southern Buckeye, including downtown Buckeye. Efforts are currently underway in the city to revitalize the downtown area, although not all residents are happy with the renovations so far.
Buckeye is struggling to secure a guaranteed water supply to continue its white-hot growth, particularly in a number of sprawling master-planned communities on the far reaches of metro Phoenix. It also tries to provide jobs and shopping opportunities and create a sense of place in its historic center.
The next council will also tackle easing one of the Valley’s most grueling commutes by finding transportation alternatives to Interstate 10.
Peoria City Council
Voters in two of Peoria’s precincts, Ironwood and Willow, have uncontested council elections Tuesday.
Rick Stokes, a U.S. Air Force veteran who runs an information technology services company, is running unopposed for the Ironwood seat, while incumbent Councilman John Edwards is all but certain to retain his Willow seat for a fourth straight term.
Both are allies of Mayor Jason Beck and his agenda to develop Peoria’s northern tier as an innovation and technology corridor complete with an air park.
The two are facing challenges from candidates who are staunchly opposed to the proposed airport.
Long-term candidates hope to capitalize on that lack-of-airport sentiment that helped propel Councilman-elect Matt Bullock to victory in Mesquite County during the July 30 primary.
Homer Landreth, a control systems engineer and independent contractor, will be running for the Ironwood District seat, and Angeli Wesson, a certified hypnotherapist, is running for the Willow seat.
Ballot measures to set minimum wage, bonds
Proposition 494 (Buckeye)
Buckeye voters will decide whether they want the city to issue $137 million in bonds for public safety projects, intended to improve response times as the city continues to grow.
The bond, which will be funded through a secondary property tax, will help the city with projects such as a new $97 million public safety headquarters and a new $30 million training facility for public safety personnel.
It will also fund the construction of two new fire stations: a $21 million fire station in Westpark and another $19 million fire station in Victory.
Residents can calculate how much the bond will cost them through the city’s website.
Proposition 495 (Buckeye)
With the second bond question, Buckeye voters will be asked if they want the city to issue a $145 million street and transportation bond. The purpose of this bond is to improve traffic safety, improve traffic and speed up transportation construction.
The bond will fund several street improvement projects.
A $50 million project will eliminate pinch points throughout the city. Widening portions of Indian School Road will cost another $48 million.
The bond will also fund the addition of lighting to portions of Sun Valley Parkway, located near Tartesso and the site of some upcoming housing 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 bond will cost them through the city’s 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 sewer facilities.
The utility currently supplies water to 2,200 customers in parts of Peoria under a 2010 franchise agreement that expires in September 2025.
Epcor is seeking to renew this agreement for another 25 years.
If voters approve the new franchise agreement under Proposition 496, Epcor Water Arizona will retain the rights to build, maintain and operate the public water and sewer companies that distribute water to Peoria-based customers.
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 above the statewide minimum of $14.35.
Proposition 499, the Hotel and Event Center Minimum Wage Protection Act, would impose broad protections and regulations to implement the new wage.
If passed, employees in Glendale’s hospitality industry would earn at least $20 an hour and then receive an annual cost-of-living raise.
The measure would also impose limits on how many rooms hotel employees can clean per day before doubling their pay, create a local labor standards agency and give workers all service fees, such as tips, that hotels and venues collect from the customers.
Worker Power, the political action committee that proposed Prop. 499, believes the wage increase will boost local economies because workers will have more purchasing power at the register and disposable income to spend on goods and services in their communities.
Opponents, such as the local hotel industry and other business communities, called the measure a job killer, believing it would force hotels and venues to lay off staff. They are also likely to pass on increased labor costs to customers by raising room rates.
Question (Tolson)
Appearing on the ballot simply as a “Question,” Tolleson voters will decide whether to adopt a home rule option that addresses how the city’s spending cap is established.
Tolleson is currently working on the Home Rule Option, which voters last approved in 2020.
Home Rule allows for an alternative to the state-imposed spending cap, allowing cities to have more control over their finances.
The state-imposed spending cap is determined by a state formula that does not take into account city revenue or services. With Home Rule, the city council can determine what services the city needs.
If Home Rule doesn’t pass, the city won’t be able to spend revenue collected from things like the police and fire departments. As a result, it will be forced to cut funds even though it has cash.
The deadline to register to vote in order to participate in the election was October 7. Voters can check their status on the Maricopa County website. Those who choose to vote by mail can still drop off a ballot at a drop-off location or polling location until Nov. 5. Sections close at 7 p.m
The county election office doesn’t expect to have 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 are released.
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 reporter at [email protected] or by phone at 480-259-8545. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @AlexandraHardle.