Log in

Patrick Duffy: District 3 Newsletter — May 2022

Posted

On Thursday, March 31, we closed out the month of March by celebrating the 2022 State of the City event at City Hall. What an incredible evening we had! Thank you to everyone who came to celebrate with us, and a huge thank you to our performers who put on a stellar show! Did you miss the video? Watch it here: https://surprisetv.surpriseaz.gov/index.php/watch...

Councilmember Duffy shakes hands with Deputy City Manager Mike Gent. People gathered in the courtyard at City Hall for the State of the City.

Spring Eggstravaganza

plastic multi-colored Easter eggs in the grass

On Saturday, April 16, I attended the Spring Eggstravaganza event held at the Surprise Recreation Campus. This free event featured fun for the whole family where residents enjoyed inflatables, face painting and a special appearance by the Easter Bunny! At their designated times, the kids took the field in search of more than 50,000 plastic eggs filled with candy and toys. Thank you to the Parks and Recreation Department for hosting this fun-filled event!

Councilmember Duffy walking with his son.

Spring Training Hall of Fame Presentation

During the Spring Training game on Sunday, April 3, Mayor Hall, Councilmember Winters, Councilmember Judd and I joined the Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission as they inducted the following individuals into the Surprise Recreation Campus Hall of Fame.

  • Charlie Woodland (former Parks and Recreation Advisory Commission member)
  • Kevin Uhlich (Previous Senior VP of Business Operations for the Kansas City Royals)
  • Mike Swanson (Previous VP of Communications and Broadcasting for the Kansas City Royals)
  • Andrew Benintendi, Michael A. Taylor and Salvador Perez (Current Kansas City Royals Players)
Members of the Parks and Recreation Commission and Surprise City Council.

Multigenerational Community Resource Center

The City, in partnership with Maricopa County, is making a major investment into the vitality and well-being of the West Valley with plans to build a multigenerational community resource center. This partnership will create an estimated 38-thousand square-foot center on City-owned land in Surprise’s historic Original Town Site. The new campus will improve resources for families, seniors, youth and vulnerable populations by centralizing and expanding programs and services from several aging city buildings, including the Surprise Resource Center, Hollyhock Library and Surprise Senior Center. The campus will be at the corner of Hollyhock Street and Santa Fe Drive, will be built on shovel-ready land and should be completed by 2025.

Property Tax

A PowerPoint slide showing information on property taxes.

We’ve been receiving some questions about the City of Surprise tax rate. It has not increased. The primary tax rate in the City of Surprise is $0.7591 per $100 of Assessed Limited Property Value (LPV), plus the secondary property tax rate of $0.3880 per $100 of Assessed Limited Property Value (LPV). These rates multiplied by the assessed value of your home determine what you pay in property taxes. If the value of your home increases, you will see an increased tax bill; however, that is not due to an increase in the property tax rate but rather an increase in the assessed value of your home.

Schedule of Existing Primary and Secondary Property Tax

Property Tax Current Rate Current Levy Proposed Rate Proposed Levy  
Primary Property Tax Rate $0.7591 $9,974,100 $0.7591 $10,873,200 Per $100 Assessed Limited Property Value (LPV)
Secondary Property Tax Rate $0.3880 $5,097,800 $0.3880 $5,557,500 Per $100 Assessed Limited Property Value (LPV)

April is Water Awareness Month

At the City Council meeting on Tuesday, April 5, Mayor Hall proclaimed April as Water Awareness Month in Surprise joining the annual statewide campaign to help raise awareness about the value of conserving water in the Southwest.

Mayor Hall presents a proclamation to a representative of the City's Water Resource Management Department.

Virtual Speaker Series

Experience stories of Arizona history and culture at upcoming speaker events presented by the Surprise Arts and Cultural Advisory Commission in partnership with Arizona Humanities. Local experts from Arizona Humanities’ AZ Speaks program will present on the following topics:

  • Saviors and Saints on the Arizona Frontiers (Speaker: Jan Cleere)
    June 8 • 11 a.m. – Noon
    Register here
  • Bisbee: The Alchemical City of Copper Borderlands (Speaker: Virgil Hancock)
    October 11 • 11 a.m. – Noon
    Register here

The events are free, but registration is required by visiting the links above. For more information, please contact the Human Service & Community Vitality Department at 623.222.3243.

Fair Housing Month in Surprise

On Tuesday, April 19, Mayor Hall Proclaimed the month of April as Fair Housing Month in Surprise in celebration of National Fair Housing Month. In this month we feel grateful for the Fair Housing Act that was passed on April 11, 1968. This law is designed to protect Americans from facing discrimination in selling or buying houses.

Meet and Greet

District 3 Community Meeting banner

My next meeting will be on May 7 at 9 a.m. at Spencer’s Place, 15341 W. Waddell Rd. Please check surpriseaz.gov for updates to my Meet and Greet schedule. As always, feel free to email me at patrick.duffy@surpriseaz.gov with any questions or concerns you may have.

City Council Meetings

The next regularly scheduled City Council Meeting is May 17 at 6 p.m. Please tune in on surpriseaz.gov/surprisetv, the Surprise City Gov Facebook page at facebook.com/cityofsurprise or on Cox channel 11.

Please continue to check the City of Surprise website, at surpriseaz.gov for updates to meeting schedules and other important announcements.