CHANDLER, Ariz. – The Chandler City Council has passed a resolution to call a special bond election for voters to consider a $475 million general obligation bond package on November 4, 2025.
Arizona Revised Statute requires cities to obtain voter authorization prior to selling general obligation bonds because secondary property taxes are used to fund the principal and interest payments on the bonds.
The bond proposal is designed and intended to maintain the city’s secondary property tax rate, while allowing for the continuation of investments through the 10-year Capital Improvement Program. It was developed with insights from a 31-member Resident Bond Exploratory Committee over a five-month period to address key areas:
- Streets and Transportation ($183 million): Update infrastructure to keep streets safe and improve traffic flow for residents and commerce.
- Parks and Recreation ($158 million): Upgrade existing parks and recreational facilities that make Chandler an attractive place for families.
- Fire Services ($88 million): Modernize equipment and facilities to ensure effective emergency response.
- Police Services ($46 million): Support technological advancements and facility improvements to bolster public safety.
More than 70 percent of Chandler’s capital projects have been historically funded through bonds. This approach enables infrastructure and facilities to be built and maintained over time to support the community’s growing population and quality of life.
While Chandler has a strong track record of prudent financial management and planning, inflationary impacts on capital projects have required the city to request voter authorization sooner than anticipated.
This is the third general obligation bond authorization request in the past 20 years for Chandler voters to consider. Residents previously approved a $451 million bond package in 2007 and $272 million bond package in 2021.
Financial Information: The estimated average tax rate for the proposed bond authorization is $0.4796. When combined with the property tax levied to pay debt service on Chandler’s existing general obligation bonds, the expected secondary property tax rate is projected to remain at or below $0.87. However, by law, Chandler must set the tax rate as high as necessary to pay debt service on the city’s general obligation bonds.
Links to Resident Bond Committee Recommendations and Bond Election webpage.