Library's Native American flute festival featured renowned performers and drew an estimated 1200 visitors.

Officials described progress on IT and broadband, water-conservation standings, a 100-year assured water supply claim, and a major Weeks Wash flood-control project supported by a $44,000,000 grant; staff said design work continues with regional partners.

District Director Mike briefed the Apache Junction Water District board on the Verde River sedimentation mitigation study and Bartlett Dam negotiations, saying federal requirements and reallocation left the district with roughly 4,000–4,700 acre-feet of capacity and a long timeline extending toward 2034.

The board approved a $2,735,475 professional services agreement with Wilson Engineers for construction administration and inspection of the Superstition-area water treatment plant expansion. District staff said the overall project is roughly $60 million and that the consultant cost is a developer pass-through.

The board unanimously approved a one‑year lease with Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation for 1,000 acre‑feet of Central Arizona Project water, with staff citing projected CAP cuts and an indicated lease cost of $450,000.

Staff described an expansion of the Ironwood surface water treatment plant that will increase production capacity and outlined a recent main break on Baseline caused by degraded C‑900 pipe; replacement work is planned and budgeted for next year.

The board approved a feasibility report and authorized issuance of general obligation bonds not to exceed $6,250,000 to fund park entry amenities, a nonpotable water transmission main (shared 50/50 by two developers) and a portion of Ray Avenue; motion passed unanimously.

After a public hearing with mixed comments, Apache Junction council unanimously approved Ordinance 15-78 to replace a prior 124-unit site plan with a revised 146-unit multifamily development that includes a family park, added parking and streetscape improvements.

The District Board of Superstition Vistas Community Facilities District No. 1 unanimously approved a resolution authorizing a not-to-exceed $12,250,000 series of general obligation bonds to finance Ray Avenue, part of Radiance Avenue and a non-potable water transmission main; board delegated staff to finalize documents.

Council unanimously directed the city attorney to draft a city code amendment regulating automated license plate readers, including internal law‑enforcement access only, 30‑day retention, limits on data fields, supervisor authorization and criminal penalties for misuse, with a work session and public hearing scheduled for early October.

Council considered whether to codify stricter rules and criminal penalties for misuse of police surveillance technology. The police chief said a new Arizona law (effective Sept. 11) prohibits tech companies from selling the city's surveillance data, the city owns the data and it is stored in a secure Amazon government cloud; some council members urged misdemeanor penalties for misuse of municipal surveillance systems.

At the Sept. 2 meeting staff celebrated winning the Arizona Parks and Recreation Association partnership award shared with the Lost Dutchman Marathon, highlighting decades of volunteer support and more than $1 million donated to local nonprofits, the department said in a video shown to commissioners.

Staff presented concept plans for a new 22‑acre South Campus at Radiance that would include ball fields, multipurpose fields, a maintenance facility, a placeholder lake and space for a library branch and police substation; the developer will front construction costs through a CFD and the city would maintain the park.

City staff showed a Pinal County master plan for the CAP Canal trail that includes a one‑mile loop and a Baseline trailhead in Apache Junction; design approvals and easements must be resolved and local construction likely depends on funding, officials said.

Dozens of residents called for Apache Junction to end its Flock ALPR contract and remove cameras, citing misuse, privacy and error risks; other residents urged keeping the technology with stronger safeguards.

Police and the city attorney told a packed chamber the ALPR system helped recover stolen vehicles and locate missing people, while dozens of residents urged the council to terminate the Flock contract after an officer's misuse prompted internal action and public concern.

Florence Copper's communications manager briefed the Apache Junction council on the site's in situ copper recovery process, recent production (first commercial cathode in February 2026; ~1.5M lb produced in Q1), a planned annual capacity of 85M lb with a 22-year mine life, and community contributions including grants and scholarships.

At a required first public hearing on the city's development impact fee update, consultant Ben Griffin summarized land use assumptions and the Infrastructure Improvements Plan, projecting nearly 14,000 new housing units over 10 years and proposed fee increases for library, parks, police and streets with a timeline of public hearings through December and potential effective date of Feb. 15.

Pinal County's attorney presented a three-year review of prosecutions (2023'2025) to the Apache Junction council, reporting overall increases in prosecuted cases, a rise in felonies to roughly 81% of prosecutions, and 31 cases clustered at the city's Walmart property; he offered to provide additional breakdowns on immigration and homelessness links.

Public works staff presented the FY27 capital improvement plan and street-maintenance strategy, reporting a 10% increase in street inventory over 2 years, average RSL about 13.6, 4% of inventory in poor condition, and that asphalt recycling saves roughly $500,000 annually; projects include Tomahawk/Southern drainage ($~6 million with $850,000 local share), Ironwood/Baseline intersection improvements, and continued overlays on Broadway and Superstition Boulevard.

At a June 15 work session, GPEC CEO Chris Mackey outlined the Greater Phoenix Economic Councils services and said Apache Junction pays about $0.49 per resident (roughly $22,000 annually) for membership; she said GPECs five-year average return on investment for member cities is about $28 per $1 spent and recommended workforce training and infrastructure readiness to attract jobs.

Arizona Water Company told the Apache Junction council it filed a general rate application April 3, 2026 and expects a year-long ACC process; the company said investments since 2022 and higher operating costs justify proposed increases and gave an example of a typical residential bill rising by about $10 under its filing.

Public Works staff outlined FY27 preservation and rehabilitation plans, RSL metrics (average RSL ~13.6; <5% in poor condition), asphalt recycling savings (~$500,000/yr), and a grant‑supported Tomahawk–Southern widening and storm‑drain project estimated at about $6 million; Weeks Wash detention basin NEPA review is ongoing.

The Water Utilities Community Facilities District approved a roughly $28 million FY2026–27 budget, including a $10M capital outlay for a new public works building, and adopted rate and fee changes (including a 5% base-rate increase) after a public hearing with no speakers; both measures passed unanimously.

During the call to the public, residents raised health and environmental concerns about water and dust from mining operations near Superior (Resolution Copper), citing arsenic and uranium in tailings; speakers also urged continued building and raised local social issues.