Extracted text (via pymupdf)
7207 characters
Page 1 MINUTES OF THE ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT ADVISORY BOARD OF THE CITY OF CHANDLER, ARIZONA, WEDNESDAY, MARCH 4, 2026, HELD IN-PERSON HELD IN-PERSON AT CHANDLER CITY HALL, 175 S. ARIZONA AVE., CHANDLER, ARIZONA. Board Present: Julie Graham, Chair Micah Miranda, Secretary Neil Calfee, Board Member Raj Chakraborty, Board Member Ron Hardin, Board Member Jacob Knudsen, Board Member Mike Mobley, Board Member Ryan Smith, Board Member Anthony Deard, Board Member Chris Dobson, Board Member Marc Valenzuela, Board Member Cecilia Ashe, Board Member Terri Kimble, Ex-Officio Board Absent: John Pombier, Ex-Officio Jennifer Hewitt, Vice Chair Lana Berry, Board Member Rommie Mojahed, Board Member Others Present: Councilmember Jennifer Hawkins, City of Chandler Councilmember Jane Poston, City of Chandler Marge Zylla, City of Chandler Brittany Barba, City of Chandler Kristin Slice, Arizona State University Brett Kennedy, Arizona State University Dawn Castle, Arizona State University Kristin Irwin, Arizona State University Janet Hartkopf, Chandler Unified School District Tiffany Bellows, Chandler Unified School District Alex Ortiz, City of Chandler Chandler Escalante, Economic Development Joe Abeita, Economic Development Kimberly Janes, Economic Development Michael Winer, Economic Development Odette Moore, Economic Development 1. Call to Order/Roll Call Ms. Julie Graham called the meeting to order at 8:33 a.m. 2. Approval of Minutes Mr. Chris Dobson made a motion to approve the minutes from Wednesday, September 10, 2025. The motion was seconded by Mr. Ron Hardin. Minutes approved unanimously. Page 2 3. Action Items None 4. Briefing Items A. Arizona Legislative Update Ms. Marge Zylla, Strategic Initiatives Director for the City of Chandler, and Brittany Barba, Government Relations Program Manager for the City of Chandler, provided an update on the current Arizona legislative session and Chandler City Council legislative priorities. Ms. Barba began with an overview of the legislative session and City Council’s priorities. She noted that Chandler’s legislative principles are protecting local authority and preserving local revenues. Chandler’s 2026 legislative priorities are focused on fiscal sustainability, economic development, neighborhoods, transportation, public safety, land use planning, water and environmental resources. Ms. Zylla then provided an overview of key bills, including HB4030/HCR2052, which proposes a moratorium on fee and rate increases. Ms. Zylla expressed concern that the measure could prevent the city from gradually adjusting its fees and rates, potentially requiring larger increases once the moratorium is lifted. Mr. Miranda added that, from an economic development perspective, uncertainty makes it more difficult to position Chandler competitively against other cities outside Arizona. Ms. Zylla also highlighted water legislation. She said Chandler has invested more than half a billion dollars to diversify its water portfolio and expressed concern that some of the proposed bills could limit how the city uses storage credits and impact long-term water planning. B. ASU Chandler Innovation Center/Chandler Endeavor Activity Update Ms. Kristin Slice, Director of Community Entrepreneurship for the J. Orin Edson Entrepreneurship + Innovation Institute at Arizona State University, and Mr. Brett Kennedy, Assistant Director of ACIC Operations at Arizona State University, provided an update on the ASU Chandler Innovation Center and Chandler Endeavor Venture Innovation Incubator. Mr. Neil Calfee, Board member and also Executive Director for Economic Development + Innovation Zones at Arizona State University, introduced the presenters and expressed appreciation for the city’s continued partnership with ASU. Mr. Kennedy then gave an overview of the ASU Chandler Innovation Center and how the facility is utilized. He said the facility serves ASU students and Page 3 faculty and also functions as a community hub for local organizations and entrepreneurs. Ms. Slice then provided an overview of the city’s Chandler Endeavor business incubator program, which is managed by Arizona State University and based at the ASU Chandler Innovation Center. She said Chandler Endeavor has served more than 1,500 people since July 2025. She then described resources provided to entrepreneurs to help grow their businesses. Mr. Miranda praised the ASU Chandler Innovation Center team for fulfilling City Council’s direction to keep the building active and well-utilized. He noted the parking lot is consistently full and the center is providing strong value to the community. C. Chandler Unified School District Semiconductor CTE Program Overview Ms. Janet Hartkopf, Emerging Technologies Coordinator for Chandler Unified School District, provided an overview of the district’s career and technical education program for the semiconductor industry. Ms. Hartkopf said the program was developed in response to the CHIPS Act, rapid expansion of the semiconductor industry in Arizona, and the growing number of semiconductor companies and suppliers in Chandler. She shared that Chandler Unified School District has partnered with the University of Arizona and aligned the program with Rio Salado College, which offers students the opportunity to earn college credits. She also noted that more than 20 industry partners have helped shape the program over the past two years, making it a highly collaborative and community-driven effort. Ms. Hartkopf explained that curriculum was intentionally designed based on industry needs and focuses on developing critical reasoning, applied math, and foundational science. Ms. Hartkopf also discussed how the program provides students with real world experiences, highlighting a weeklong camp where students spent each day with a different semiconductor company. She shared that many of the students currently enrolled in the program first participated in the district’s Chips and Wafer Semiconductor camp. Ms. Hartkopf explained how the program also builds pathways to other types of advanced manufacturing in response to a question from the Board. When asked how the community could support the program, she said company introductions, internship and shadowing opportunities, and other hands-on industry exposure are valuable. Page 4 5. Advisory Boardmember Comments Staff encouraged board members to attend the City of Chandler Boards and Commissions Appreciation Event on Wednesday, April 15, from 7:30 a.m. to 9:00 a.m. at the Chandler City Hall courtyard. 6. Next Meeting Ms. Graham announced the next Economic Development Advisory Board meeting will be held on Wednesday, June 10, 2026. A calendar invite will be sent to all board members in advance. 7. Adjournment Ms. Graham adjourned the meeting at 9:48 a.m. Respectfully Submitted, ________________________________ Julie Graham, Chairwoman ________________________________ Micah Miranda, Board Secretary