Council to take action on the Buckeye Arts & Culture Plan. Summary: The Community Services Department, working alongside consulting firm Keen Independent Research, launched the Arts & Culture Plan pro

5.C
CITY OF BUCKEYE
Regular Council Meeting
COUNCIL ACTION REPORT
AGENDA ITEM: 5.C. CS - Approval of
MEETING DATE: 10/20/26
Arts & Culture Plan
DATE PREPARED: 10/15/26 DISTRICT NO.: All
STAFF LIAISON: Ilana Holden, Arts & Culture Manager, iholden@buckeyeaz.gov,
(623) 349-6365
AGENDA ITEM TYPE: Public Meeting /
DEPARTMENT: Community Services
Non Consent - New Business
ACTION/MOTION: (This language identifies the formal motion to be made by the Council)
Council to take action on the Buckeye Arts & Culture Plan.
GOALS AND OBJECTIVES FOR THE STRATEGIC PLAN FOCUS AREAS:
A Safe and Sustainable Quality of Life
SUMMARY
PROJECT DESCRIPTION:
The Community Services Department, working alongside consulting firm Keen Independent Research,
launched the Arts & Culture Plan process in January 2026. This comprehensive, long-range planning
initiative was first identified as necessary by the City Council in early 2024 when they recommended
establishing an Arts & Culture Manager position. Following budget approval, Keen was retained to
inventory local assets, evaluate the municipality's current cultural landscape, and construct a ten-year
strategic roadmap for the newly created Arts & Culture Division.
To ensure the framework reflects the needs of Buckeye residents and stakeholders, Keen and
department staff conducted an extensive public engagement campaign. Gathering input from over 700
participants, the engagement effort utilized event visits, vision boards, specialized surveys, and focused
stakeholder interviews. Focus groups featured community volunteers and key organizations, including
representatives from local municipalities, the arts community, the Buckeye Main Street Coalition,
Creative Arts Production Academy (CAPA), and What’s Happenin’ Art Movement (WHAM!). Staff also
presented plan overviews and survey feedback during two sessions with the Community Services
Advisory Board, the Planning and Zoning Commission, and the Chamber of Commerce.
The resulting recommendations provide a vision and framework for expanding public art and cultural
programming over the next decade and beyond. The draft plan and executive summary were submitted
to the Mayor and Councilmembers for review in early April 2026, followed by a presentation on the plan's
core themes and overarching goals to the Buckeye City Council on September 1, 2026. Moving toward
formal adoption, the Community Services Advisory Board unanimously voted to recommend approval to
the City Council on October 7, 2026, with a presentation and discussion with the Planning and Zoning
Commission on October 13th, and the plan was generally supported by the commission.
BENEFITS:
The Arts & Culture Plan provides the blueprint for the growth and expansion of the arts and cultural
system.The future public art and programming will enhance the quality of life for Buckeye residents.The
Arts & Culture Plan forecasts the growth in population and the associated need for additional public art,
services, programming, and event spaces.

FUTURE ACTION:
After approval, the Community Services Department will begin working on the strategic implementation
items recommended in the plan.
FINANCIAL IMPACT STATEMENT:
The approval of the Arts & Culture Plan has no direct financial impact. However, the plan includes
implementation of a dedicated, sustainable funding strategy. Per council direction, staff is working on a
policy to establish an Art Fund along with a target for annual deposits into the fund based on the Capital
Improvement Plan (CIP) budget. Deposits will be approved as part of the annual budget process.
BUDGETED:
Yes
FISCAL YEAR:
2026
Items related to a project or facility location must include an attached vicinity map for Council
Review.
ATTACHMENTS:
FinalReport_BuckeyeArtsandCulturePlan_09182026.pdf