< PreviousPOLICE CADET PROGRAM - Youth The Surprise Police Cadet Program is a youth enrichment program for ages 14 - 21 that is designed to build a positive relationship between local youth and law enforcement. The program promotes essential character traits, including honesty, integrity, respect, courage and discipline, while also educating participants on the skills needed for a career in public safety. Several alumni from the Cadet Program have successfully launched their careers with the Surprise Police Department, showcasing the program's effectiveness in preparing future law enforcement. Requirements for participation in the program include: »Have good moral character »Remain in school while in the program or until graduation »Maintain a "C" average or higher »Volunteer time to attend cadet functions Cadets meet every Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. at the Surprise Public Safety Evidence and Readiness Center, 13433 W. Foxfire Dr. Meetings run approximately three hours, and attendance is required. Participants must apply and be accepted into the program. For more information, visit surpriseaz.gov/PoliceCadets. Exercise Education and Development Program - Adults A career in law enforcement requires both physical and mental strength. The Surprise Police Department aims to assist aspiring law enforcement professionals in enhancing both aspects through the S.P.E.E.D. program, which stands for Surprise Police Exercise Education and Development. Launched in 2024, this program helps community members prepare for the physical requirements of recruit testing. Officers who are certified fitness instructors hold workout sessions every Wednesday from 6 - 8 p.m. at the Surprise Public Safety Evidence and Readiness Center, located at 13433 W. Foxfire Dr. These sessions feature intense workouts designed to prepare participants to achieve peak physical fitness. Since the program's inception, over a dozen participants have successfully secured positions with the Surprise Police Department and other local law enforcement agencies. Pre- registration is required. For more information, visit surpriseaz.gov/SPEED. Programs for Aspiring Police Officers 10 surpriseaz.gov | Spring 2025 Ensuring the youth of Surprise are able to attend school in a safe learning environment was one of the top agenda items for Mayor Kevin Sartor. One of the first initiatives for the Mayor after taking office was to begin forming the City of Surprise’s first School Safety Advisory Group. The goal is to bring together education partners from across the city to collaborate with City leadership and public safety. This will help to ensure that student safety stays at the forefront of future planning and that a strong working partnership is established. First Police Substation To Begin Construction This Year In 2023, our community came together to support a public safety bond for our first police substation along 163rd Avenue near San Ysidro Road. We’re thrilled to announce the City has selected a contractor and is finalizing the land purchase. Construction is expected to begin in late summer 2025 and be completed by early 2027. Initially, 32 staff are expected to be assigned to the substation, including a commander to manage the precinct. There will be room for growth with office space for investigators. The precinct will also house the City’s Real Time Crime Center, which will enhance the speed at which information is provided to officers in the field. Surprise School Safety Advisory Group NEW on the horizon Spring 2025 | surpriseaz.gov 11Thousands of residents shared their voices in the 2025 Retail Survey, highlighting the Top 10 most loved local retailers and restaurants, as well as the shopping and dining options you want to see next in Surprise. Your feedback plays a key role in shaping the retail landscape of our community and helps guide future business attraction efforts. Surprise Retail Survey Results! WITH THE OPENING OF NOODLES & COMPANY AND BLUE SUSHI SAKE GRILL, VILLAGE AT PRASADA IS NOW 100% COMPLETE AND OPERATIONAL! WHAT BEGAN WITH COSTCO IN 2019, HAS TURNED INTO ONE OF THE LARGEST POWER CENTERS IN ARIZONA, COMPLETE WITH 61 TOTAL BUSINESSES INCLUDING MANY OF OUR RESIDENTS’ MOST DESIRED. THIS REGIONAL SHOPPING DESTINATION HAS ADDED: Favorite Local Retailers: Giftive (formally Karen’s Hallmark) / Just Be Youtiful Boutique / Musical Surprise Favorite Local Restaurants: Bonfire Craft Kitchen & Taphouse / Rio Mirage Café / Master Taco Most Wanted Retailers: IKEA / Whole Foods Market / At Home Most Wanted Restaurants: The Cheesecake Factory / Cracker Barrel Old Country Store / BJ’s Restaurant & Brewhouse 22 RETAILERS 27 RESTAURANTS 8 HEALTH & BEAUTY businesses 4 specialty businesses Here's a look at the top three in each category! A Retail BoomCafé Zupas 12 surpriseaz.gov | Spring 2025 Prasada North is progressing, bringing dozens of businesses! Many of them are already open or under construction. NOW OPEN Einstein Bagel Bros, First Watch, Laseraway, Portillo’s, Sneakybird, Torchy’s Tacos, Verizon JUST AROUND THE CORNER American Furniture Warehouse (next to Prasada North), Chase Bank, Shake Shack, Starbucks, Target ON THE HORIZON DSW, Boot Barn, Nordstrom Rack, Old Navy, Sierra Trading Post, Sportsman’s Warehouse Elm Steet is setting the stage for a vibrant downtown Surprise with many unique retailers and restaurants that can’t be found anywhere else in the West Valley. OPEN FOR BUSINESS! Better Buzz Coffee Roasters, Café Zupas ALMOST HERE Amazing Lash Studio, Mission BBQ Surprise, Pita Kitchen, Venetian Nail Lounge IN THE PIPELINE Elements Massage, Farmer Boys, Jet’s Pizza, Osteria Mia, Pacific Dental Services, Peterson’s Old Fashioned Ice Cream, Salon Lofts, Tacos Chilango Retail BoomIf you look citywide , growth isn't confined to our major retail centers; businesses are flourishing throughout Surprise! We're seeing expansions of well-loved brands and more tailored specialty brands, providing residents with greater convenience and choice. NOW OPEN Africa Staples - African and Caribbean Market, Hummus Republic OPENING SOON AEO Powersports, Jimmy John’s (2nd location), La Michoacana, Manny’s Place, Wing Stop (2nd location) Scan the QR code to see the full list! Mission BBQ Surprise The Cactus & 303 Retail Corridor is one of the most exciting new commercial areas in Surprise that will bring dozens of great businesses across multiple developments. With major anchors, high demand businesses and a soon to be upgraded Cactus Road, this area will become a bustling marketplace near our city’s southern boundary. ANNOUNCED SO FAR Home Depot (open as of April 3!), Fry’s Marketplace, EOS Fitness, Slim Chickens, In-N-Out Burger, QuikTrip, La-Z-Boy Hummus Republic surpriseaz.gov/RetailSurvey Spring 2025 | surpriseaz.gov 13WATER EDUCATION WORKSHOPS to get your plants spring-ready April is Water Awareness Month in Arizona and Surprise encourages residents to join the statewide effort to live waterwise in our desert environment. To help you practice waterwise techniques, we have a full lineup of free water workshops to get your lawn and garden into shape for spring while still practicing a low-water-use lifestyle. Grow Your Own Food April 5 | 9 - 10 a.m. Converting Turf Grass to Xeriscape April 12 | 9 - 10:30 a.m. Fine-Tuning Your Plant’s Watering Needs May 10 | 9 - 11 a.m. Summer Heat Stress: Help Your Plants Survive June 14 | 9 - 10 a.m. GROW YOUR WATER AWARENESS Tours Xeriscape Garden Bring the natural beauty of the desert to your own home by learning more about low-water-use native and desert- adapted plants. Join a fun and informal learning experience during a Xeriscape Garden tour with our Surprise Master Gardeners! Tours are planned from 9 - 10 a.m. on April 5 and May 3. Registration is not required but is appreciated. To register for a workshop or a xeriscape tour, visit surpriseaz.gov/WaterWorkshops. 14 surpriseaz.gov | Spring 2025 SURPRISE RESIDENTS ARE "WATER- WISE", and Mayor Kevin Sartor wants the whole country to know it. That is why we are planning to take top honors during a friendly nationwide competition this April. Marking our sixth year in the Wyland National Mayor’s Challenge for Water Conservation, Surprise residents have the opportunity to save water and win some great prizes! To participate, all you have to do is pledge to manage natural resources more wisely. It only takes a few moments to visit mywaterpledge.com through April 30 and select from a list of ways you can help use water more efficiently, reduce pollution and save energy. It is simple to participate and just as easy to enter to win $50,000 in eco-friendly prizes, including $3,000 towards your home’s utility bills, irrigation smart controllers, home improvement gift cards and more. Additionally, one school in each winning city will receive 100 pairs of special blue light eyeglasses crafted from recycled plastics equivalent to three single-use water bottles. Through the lifetime of this challenge, residents from almost 2,300 cities across the United States have pledged to save more than 1.8 billion gallons of water. These pledges also meant reducing waste sent to landfills by 35 million pounds, including recycling three million water bottles. Ready to help? Take the pledge today at mywaterpledge.com! The City of Surprise has partnered with GateWay Community College to offer a free opportunity to train for a water career. For the 2025-2026 academic year, GateWay will provide 10 scholarships to Surprise residents and Luke Air Force Base employees. These scholarships will fund tuition and associated fees for full-time and part-time students. This partnership provides classes at the Surprise- GateWay Training Facility near the City’s wastewater treatment facility, allowing students to gain hands-on experience while learning more about the career opportunities in water at the City of Surprise. Students can pursue an Associate of Applied Science in Environmental Science and Water Resources Technologies or earn a Certificate of Completion in Water and Wastewater Treatment or Environmental Science Technology. This opportunity also provides students significant savings toward earning a bachelor's degree at a university. Applications are due by the end of April. To learn more, visit surpriseaz.gov/Scholarships. Saving can earn you prizes! Turn your passion for water into a career Spring 2025 | surpriseaz.gov 15City Budget Interesting Facts! The journey to build the Fiscal Year 2026 City of Surprise Budget is moving forward. May 6 - Tentative Budget Adoption June 3 - Public Hearing for Property Tax and Street Light Improvement Districts; Final Budget Adoption June 17 - Property Tax and Street Light Improvement Districts Levy Adoption July 1 - Start of Fiscal Year 2026 and the New Budget Building the City Budget Dates to Remember: What is the City’s General Fund? The General Fund is the City’s primary operating fund, used to cover the costs of essential services like police, fire, parks and recreation, community development, general government operations, and other core functions. Essentially, it's the main pot of money a city uses to pay for its day-to-day operations across various departments. What does the City’s General Fund get spent on? When you look at the City’s General Fund expenses by function in the current budget, 44 percent of those funds went to public safety. y 15% Community Services (Parks & Recreation, Human Service & Community Vitality and Sports & Tourism) y 15% Central Services (HR, Finance, IT, Marketing & Communications, City Management, etc.) y 14% Community & Economic Development y 12% Public Works & Streets What revenue does the City receive? The City's General Fund receives its largest revenues, at 43%, from local sales tax. In contrast, property tax only accounts for 4% of the revenue. Intergovernmental revenue includes funds and grants received from another level of government, such as the state. y 28% Intergovernmental y 17% Charges for Services y 4% Property Tax y 4% Transfers In y 3% Franchise Fees & Licenses y 1% Other How does Surprise’s Primary & Secondary Property Tax compare to other West Valley cities? Surprise’s tax rate is relatively low when considering a five-year average (FY20- 24). Last year, City Council reduced the City’s primary property tax rate 25% to $0.5693 per $100 assessed limited property value, and they are looking at lowering it again. Our City’s secondary property tax is voter-approved bond funding for public safety and transportation projects. To explore the City’s budget visit surpriseaz.gov/Budget. 44% Police Fire Court 43% revenue from Local Sales Tax 16 surpriseaz.gov | Spring 2025 Construction underway on the Surprise Community & Resource Center The new 35,000 square foot center is being made possible through an intergovernmental agreement between the City of Surprise and Maricopa County and is supported by a $450,000 grant from the Sprouts Healthy Communities Foundation and a $1 million Congressional Directed Spending Request from Senator Mark Kelly’s office through the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration. ON JANUARY 15, LEADERS FROM THE CITY OF SURPRISE AND MARICOPA COUNTY JOINED TO BREAK GROUND ON THE NEW SURPRISE COMMUNITY & RESOURCE CENTER. This future facility at Hollyhock Street and Santa Fe Drive will serve the entire Northwest Valley by bringing an array of community services under one roof, which will be offered through partnerships with dozens of government agencies and non-profit organizations. Visitors will have access to: • Health and wellness programs • Head Start classrooms • Workforce development • Housing and homeless assistance • Benefit assistance • Veteran services • Senior services • After school youth programs • Summer youth programs • Library services Details about the project are available at surpriseaz.gov/SCRC The Surprise Community & Resource Center is expected to open in spring 2026. Spring 2025 | surpriseaz.gov 17APR LIVE at Asante April 3 Enjoy a free, all-ages outdoor performance featuring live music from High Horse and Eden Cislo along with arts activities and food for purchase at Asante Library, 16755 W. Vereda Solana Dr. 6 - 8 p.m. Bring a lawn chair or blanket. More info: surpriseaz.gov/ArtsSignUp What’s Happening! KIDZ Jamboree April 5 Discover the various offerings available to children ages 0-5 in the community! Plus, enjoy games, crafts, music, parent- child activities and more. 10 a.m. - 1 p.m. Surprise Resource Center, 12425 W. Bell Rd. More info: 623.222.1600 AZ Speaks April 9 A presentation on “The Colorado River and It’s Wonders: A Study in Water Use and Conservation” by Jim Turner. Surprise City Hall Council Chambers. 11 a.m. - noon. Event is free. Registration required: surpriseaz.gov/ArtsSignUp Vet Fest April 12 A fun-filled evening for veterans, their families, military supporters and the entire community. Come connect and learn about the support and resources available to veterans. Mark Coronado Park, 15960 N. Bullard Ave. 5 - 8 p.m. surpriseaz.gov/VetFest State of the City April 24 Join us as Mayor Kevin Sartor presents his first State of the City. The event will include a video presentation that starts at 6 p.m. inside City Council Chambers, 16000 N. Civic Center Plz. surpriseaz.gov/SOTC Eggstravaganza April 18 This free event features fun for the whole family including inflatables, photo booth, face painting, a special appearance by Mr. and Mrs. Bunny and a series of egg hunts. Surprise Recreation Campus, 15960 N. Bullard Ave. 5 - 9 p.m. surpriseaz.gov/Eggstravaganza Surprise Day of Service April 26 Show your community pride by participating in the annual Bean Bag Day. 8 a.m. - noon. Event held at Freedom Traditional Academy. To volunteer, visit surpriseaz.gov/DayofService night! 18 surpriseaz.gov | Spring 2025 Surprise Day of Service June 14 Show your community pride by volunteering to help those in need. To volunteer please register at surpriseaz.gov/DayofService Dive In Movie Night June 14 Relax in the water or sit poolside as you watch Moana 2 on the big screen at Surprise Aquatic Center. Food available for purchase. Movie starts 7:30 p.m. $5 Resident / $8 non-Resident. More info: surpriseaz.gov/SpecialEvents JUN Surprise Day of Service May 3 Show your community pride by volunteering to help those in need. To volunteer, visit surpriseaz.gov/DayofService Safety Splash May 9 Join this free event for all ages at the new Oasis Swim Center (Cactus & Perryville roads) from 5 - 7 p.m. Celebrate May as National Water Safety Month by taking part in swim lesson evaluations, CPR & water rescue demonstrations, public safety trucks, games, prizes and more! Registration required at surpriseaz.gov/SurpriseRec AZ Speaks May 14 A presentation on “Arizona’s Cosmic Connections” by Marshall Shore. Asante Library, 16755 W. Vereda Solana Dr. 6 - 7 p.m. Event is free. Registration required: surpriseaz.gov/ArtsSignUp Last Day of School May 22 Dysart Unified School District. Have a safe summer! City Pools Open May 24 Surprise Aquatic Center, Hollyhock Pool and Oasis Swim Center open! Surprise Talent Show May 3 Come see local talent show off their skills! Vista Center for the Arts. $5 in advance; $7 at the door. Tickets: surpriseaz.gov/SurpriseRec More info: 623.222.2000 Independence Day July 4 • 6 - 9 p.m. • Mark Coronado Park Celebrate this Fourth of July with spectacular fireworks, entertainment, delicious food and fun! Check out all the ways to celebrate before the big fireworks show, including food trucks and a pool party at surpriseaz.gov/Independence Spring 2025 | surpriseaz.gov 19Next >