About

The Town of Queen Creek’s fiscal year (FY) 2026/27 budget was approved by Council at the May 20 meeting. The $840.6 million budget goes into effect on July 1, 2026, and continues to prioritize water resources, public safety, and transportation, with 56% dedicated to infrastructure projects. Arizona law requires that all municipalities adopt an annual, balanced budget. Arizona budgeting practices also require the full cost of projects are included up-front in the budget, even when the projects occur over multiple years.

“This budget includes two major projects – both strategic investments that will be multi-year projects, our police headquarters and the final payment for water from Harquahala Valley,” stated Queen Creek Mayor Julia Wheatley. “Both of these projects are fully funded in the approved budget, and remaining projects costs will carry-forward each year until they are complete. These projects, along with our $71.1 million slated for transportation, reflect our continued commitment to infrastructure while maintaining a high quality of life.”

Town of Queen Creek FY 2026-27 Budget infographic

The budget aligns with the Town’s Corporate Strategic Plan to prioritize its allocation of resources. Highlights include:

• Safe Community

  •  The budget includes 10 new positions for public safety: six for the Police Department and four for the Fire & Medical Department
  • The budget includes $106.1 million for critical facilities identified in the adopted Police Master Plan, as well as $4.5 million for Fire & Medical facilities and equipment, including design of a new fire station to service the southern area of Town
  • The QCPD HQ, one of the Town’s larger investments, solves multiple needs with one structure – the new building will include space for future buildout and eliminates the need for an expansion at the Municipal Services Building (MSB)
  • The Town adopted a pay-as-you-go funding source for large, one-time projects, which will be used to cover a portion of the QCPD HQ

• Secure Future

  •  Queen Creek continues to take a proactive approach to water self-sufficiency, with strategic investment in a drought-proof water supply. The budget includes $177.5 million for water resources including:
    • The final payment to purchase Harquahala water, and funding towards related infrastructure
    • Funding for the Meridian water recharge site

• Superior Infrastructure

  • Transportation investments continue with $71.1 million allocated for improvement projects like:
    • Power: Chandler Heights to Riggs
    • Hawes: Rittenhouse to Jude
    • Sossaman: Sonoqui Wash to Chander Heights
    • Chandler Heights: Sossaman to Hawes
    • Hawes: Chandler Heights to Ocotillo

• Qualify Lifestyle

  • The budget includes $4.9 million for wash trails, one of QC’s unique assets, including design and construction of the Queen Creek Wash Trail east of Rittenhouse to Meridian, under UPRR

• Effective Government

  • The Town prioritized new positions beyond public safety to those that support the Town’s transportation and utility investments (four in Public Works and four in Utilities)
  • The budget includes a one-time $50 million payment to pay off a short-term loan that is due June 2027 using reimbursements from a state infrastructure program and other dedicated resources that were set aside in the General Fund last year to pay off the loan

The budget assumes a lower primary property tax rate, from $1.55 to $1.46 per $100 of assessed value. In November 2022, Town Council approved a policy that freezes the primary property tax for existing taxpayers for five years, which means the tax rate will go down as property values go up. The primary property tax rate will be adopted by Town Council at the June 3 Town Council meeting. The Town’s primary property tax was approved by voters in 2007 at a rate not to exceed $1.95 per $100 of assessed value and is dedicated solely for public safety.

To view the full budget, visit QueenCreekAZ.gov/Budget. To stay updated on activities, follow the Town on Facebook.com/QueenCreek and X.com/TownofQC.

Queen Creek’s 2026 State of the Town was presented last night in partnership with the Queen Creek Chamber of Commerce. Community accomplishments were shared that align with the Town’s Corporate Strategic Plan, in addition to a panel with several of the Town’s Agritainment destinations.

The State of the Town, along with a complete list of the Town’s 2025 accomplishments, are available online at QueenCreekAZ.gov/StateoftheTown.

Highlights of the milestones achieved over the past year include:

Safe Community:

• The Queen Creek Police Department launched the Community Action Team to focus on youth issues and targeted enforcement needs.
• The Queen Creek Fire & Medical Department is the first public safety agency in the nation to successfully deploy a remote piloted UAS, or unmanned aircraft system, that is mounted on a vehicle.

Effective Government:

• The International Economic Development Council reaccredited the Town of Queen
  Creek as an accredited economic development organization.
• Volunteers contributed more than 81,000 hours.

Secure Future:

• Lowering the Town’s primary property tax rate again for existing residents.
• The Council continues to reduce fees for customers by offsetting groundwater replenishment fees at the maximum amount for another year. Reducing groundwater replenishment fees for water customers is an interim solution as the Town works toward water self-sufficiency.
• Major strategic investment in a secure source of water that is not susceptible to cuts that will reduce local groundwater pumping.

Superior Infrastructure:

• Clean-up is underway for the Town’s first recharge site, a key component of the Town’s strategy for water self-sufficiency.
• Widened northbound Ironwood to three lanes from Germann to the State Route 24.

Quality Lifestyle:

• Celebrated the opening of the Queen Creek Recreation & Aquatic Center
• Continued development in the downtown core, including the Switchyard

To stay updated on news and events follow the Town on Facebook.com/QueenCreek and X.com/TownofQC. To report non-emergency issues and concerns, please visit QueenCreekAZ.gov/SeeClickFix.

The Town of Queen Creek has been working for nearly 10 years implementing a strategic vision for the Town’s water future, creating a more diversified water supply.

In 2025, the Town purchased 500,000-acre feet of water (over 100 years) from Harquahala Valley, providing a proof of concept for this source of water. Harquahala Valley is a water storage basin designated by the State for transportation to other areas. The proof of concept included a hydrology study that demonstrated there is 8.2 million acre-feet of water available for transport over 100 years.

In late 2025, the Town approved funding an additional 1.2-million-acre feet of water using Certificates of Participation (COP) and Water Infrastructure Finance Authority (WIFA) for an amount not to exceed $250 million.

The COPs were sold on Jan. 15, 2026. Deputy Town Manager and Finance Director Scott McCarty shared the results of the sale were overall favorable. “The first 30 years were more favorable for the Town and the last 10 years were slightly less favorable than anticipated - ultimately it was a net positive for the Town. The COPs sold with a term of 40 years, an interest rate of 4.9% and annual debt service of $12.1 to $14.8 million. This funding mechanism was specifically recommended due to the debt service better matching the life of the asset.”

In preparation for the COP sale, they were rated by Standard & Poor’s (S&P) and Fitch Ratings, leading providers of credit ratings. Both rating agencies assigned a ‘AA’ rating to the Town ’s COP, and affirmed the Town’s Issuer Credit Rating (ICR) at ‘AA+’, one notch below the highest possible rating, with a stable outlook.

“It has been incredible to be part of the Town’s water strategy over the years,” stated Queen Creek Mayor Julia Wheatley. “This is our second purchase from Harquahala - the first one took seven years, and it really paved the way for securing this unique water asset. I continue to be impressed with this Council’s commitment to a secure future and effective government, and our ability to act quickly to secure the lowest cost of water. This really is a significant step towards water self-sufficiency and certainty.”

Water Strategy

Queen Creek has ample groundwater - replenishing it is expensive. Groundwater removed from the aquifer must be replenished in accordance with the 1980 Arizona Groundwater Management Act. To comply with this mandate, most of Queen Creek’s water customers are members of and pay fees to the Central Arizona Groundwater Replenishment District (CAGRD), which is included in their property tax bill (properties developed prior to 1996 are exempt).

Queen Creek water customers who are CAGRD members may not be aware of the full cost of these fees, as the Town of Queen Creek has been utilizing water credits to offset these costs for its customers since 2018. This was a result of Council resolutions to reduce costs to customers as an interim measure, with the ultimate goal of water self-sufficiency to manage costs locally and not depend on local groundwater pumping. Depending on the year the subdivision was developed, these costs were reduced anywhere from 33% to 100% - saving Queen Creek water customers approximately $58 million since 2018. This was an interim measure until the Town became a designated water provider; the Town cannot continue to offset CAGRD for water customers indefinitely.

Funding the Water Purchase

When the Town becomes a designated water provider, any remaining replenishment fee will be paid directly by the Town. And with the additional water sources, there will be significantly less local groundwater pumping, meaning less replenishment requirements. The Town will pay for the water sources by creating a water resource fee that will replace the existing CAGRD replenishment fee that 88% of water customers are currently assessed.

The Town will not implement the water resource fee until CAGRD assessments are eliminated for water customers, anticipated for early 2027. When the Town becomes designated and implements a resource fee (in place of CAGRD), any current exemptions would be eliminated. While the structure of the Town’s resource fee is still being evaluated, it will apply to all customers as designation benefits the system as a whole. The resource fee will go through the Town’s public fee setting process.

Becoming a designated water provider is the next step in the Town’s development, like establishing a fire department in 2008, establishing a police department in 2022 and now securing QC’s water future, by becoming a designated water provider. The Town of Queen Creek is committed to securing a more reliable & locally controlled water future.

For more information, visit QueenCreekAZ.gov/WaterFuture. To watch the meeting, visit QueenCreekAZ.gov/WatchMeetings.