Title
Consideration of Citizen Petition Submitted by Tamara Weaver - District 1
Description
This report provides the City Council with information regarding a document (Attachment A) submitted by Tamara Weaver at the October 29, 2025, Formal City Council meeting for consideration as a citizen petition. The submitted document was essentially two citizen petition requests in one. The first issue raised was principally an objection to the proposed North Park Rezoning and Development Plan on approximately 6,400 acres of land managed in a trust by the Arizona State Land Department. This development is coming forward with two general plan amendments (GPA-NG-1-24-1 and GPA-NG-2-2024 and one Planned Unit Development Zoning case (Z-139-24-1). The second citizen petition requests the City Council to conduct a thorough investigation from 2019 to the present to "assess the effects of special interest involvement, campaign finance practices, contributions from lobbyists, and developers, related contracts, zoning approvals for pertinent entities, committee appointments, comprehensive expenditures reports, funding sources for trips and events and review personal investment activities of lawmakers and committee members within this period to benefit to verify that all transactions were conducted without reliance on confidential or non-public information."
Report
Summary
The attached document (Attachment A) was submitted to the City Council for consideration as a citizen petition. Upon review by the Law Department, and in consultation with the Planning and Development Department, it was determined that this document did not qualify as a citizen petition and therefore, could not be placed on a Council agenda. This determination is explained below and this response is considered an information request.
The requested action for the first issue raised does not legally qualify as a valid citizen petition under Chapter IV, Section 22 of the Phoenix City Charter because legally it is not ripe for City Council’s consideration. Its filing prematurely circumvents an already established legal process to hear the merits of both the rezoning case and the two general plan amendments. Tentative hearing dates on this matter will take place on November 13, 2025, before the North Gateway Village Planning Committee, then on December 4, 2025, before the Planning Commission and then the City Council will consider the matter on December 4, 2025. At each of these hearings, Ms. Weaver will have the opportunity to be heard and can raise the same issues of concern as those raised in the submitted materials. The second request also does not legally qualify as a valid citizen petition under Chapter IV, Section 22 of the Phoenix City Charter because City Council does not have the jurisdiction to investigate the areas identified in the request. Investigations alleging improper campaign finance practices, contributions, expenditures, funding sources of special interests and reviewing the personal investment activities of lawmakers and committee members are not matters within the investigative authority or purview of the City Council.
Staff have contacted Tamara Weaver to provide this information and this report was created for public awareness, which will be shared with Ms. Weaver as well.
Location
Southwest corner of the Loop 303 and Interstate 17 freeways.
Council District: 1
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Manager Alan Stephenson and the Planning and Development Department.