Maricopa’s leaders spent nine hours today looking ahead.

The meeting at the Maricopa Library & Cultural Center laid out what city staff and elected officials are focused on this year, including transportation projects, early budget projections and community initiatives.

While the city prepares to upload video from the meeting, here’s our own highlight reel.

Upcoming resident survey  

Social media has long been the city’s primary way of collecting resident feedback, but officials now want to launch a more formal community survey aimed at reaching a broader range of backgrounds and viewpoints.

“We want to move forward and make sure that what we’re doing as a city is really aligned with what the community ultimately wants,” Deputy City Manager Micah Gaudet said.

No date has been announced for the survey.

Tightening the purse strings 

Chief Financial Officer Matt Kozlowski presented an early look at the city’s budget and financial projections for the next fiscal year, including the impact of lost revenue tied to legislative decisions and San Tan Valley’s incorporation.

The city is facing an estimated $10 million revenue loss, which could affect future infrastructure projects or department requests. For the next fiscal year, Maricopa projects $107 million in general fund revenue, a $5 million increase from the previous year. Expenditures are projected at $69.7 million, a 15.8% increase from the prior year.

SR 347 funds top expectations  

In the first month of the Commuting Corridors Sales Tax Fund, the city collected $784,805, slightly more than originally estimated. The half-cent sales tax took effect Oct. 1 and applies to restaurant dining, retail purchases, select services and construction.

The revenue is earmarked for transportation infrastructure projects, most notably State Route 347.

At that pace, Chief Financial Officer Matt Kozlowski said the city could generate up to $9 million in the first year of collections, nearly double the original $5 million projection.

Local corridors update  

City Manager Ben Bitter provided updates on transportation infrastructure, including plans by the Arizona Department of Transportation to construct a flyover entrance from SR 347 aimed at reducing delays at traffic signals.

Bitter also said Interstate 11, a proposed highway connecting Las Vegas and Nogales, could begin moving forward despite an ongoing lawsuit. The project would provide Maricopa residents with faster access to the West Valley and serve as a truck bypass route.

Additional updates included the Green Road overpass design reaching 30% completion. The next segment of Sonoran Desert Parkway is nearing 90% design completion, and construction to widen State Route 238 is expected to begin in the next fiscal year.

Odds and ends  

Several additional topics surfaced late in the meeting, including discussion of a potential teen center, designating Maricopa as a dementia-friendly, autism-friendly or Purple Heart City, establishing walking trails across the city, and building a small pedestal monument honoring city founders at Mike Ingram Heritage Park.

Police Chief Mark Goodman briefly discussed a business watch program launched last year by the Maricopa Police Department, which functions as a version of neighborhood watch for businesses.

The city also reminded residents that the 60-day deadline to submit comments on the city’s general plan is two weeks away.