HEADLINE NEWS

New resident service model delivers fast, personalized support. Scottsdale has launched a new Constituent Services Team to give residents a faster, easier and more personalized way to get help from their city. The team brings ScottsdaleEZ, the City Call Center and dedicated constituent liaisons together to serve as a single-entry point for questions and service requests. Since May, they’ve handled more than 350 cases and resolved 90% within two weeks, helping residents with everything from traffic concerns to complex, multi-department issues. The model saves residents time by coordinating directly with departments, offering concierge-level support and keeping people informed with clear updates. Staff also meet residents in the field, work with community groups and manage the city’s Mediation Program to help neighbors resolve disputes.

Learn more.

Learn about proposed updates to Scottsdale’s fire-defensible space rules at upcoming open houses. The city is hosting two open houses where residents can learn about and comment on proposed changes to the Environmentally Sensitive Lands (ESL) Ordinance and the Fire Code. These updates focus on how fire-defensible space is managed within ESL areas.

The goal of the changes is to modernize the rules, so they better reflect current environmental conditions and address issues identified in the existing ordinance.

• 3 – 7 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 11, at the Florence E. Nelson Desert Park Community Multi-Use Room, 8950 E. Pinnacle Peak Road

Additional meeting dates and locations are to be scheduled. View the case info sheet for more details.

PUBLIC MEETINGS

Get a head start learning about city issues, projects and activities by attending or listening in on the many public meetings we host.

Week of Dec 1:

• City Council Regular Meeting: 5 p.m. Monday, Dec. 1
• City Council Regular Meeting: 5 p.m. Tuesday, Dec. 2
• Veteran’s Advisory Commission Regular Meeting: 4:30 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 3
• Paths and Trails Subcommittee Regular Meeting: 5:15 p.m. Thursday, Dec. 4

Week of Dec. 8 - Check back next week for the full list:

• Budget Review Commission Special Meeting: 10 a.m. Monday, Dec. 8
• Human Relations Committee Regular Meeting: 5 p.m. Monday, Dec. 8
• Library Board Regular Meeting: 3 p.m. Wednesday, Dec. 10

Learn about the responsibilities of city Boards and Commissions and how you can serve.

Find more public meetings.

THINGS TO DO

Scottsdale Public Library’s Ultimate Family Play Date! Join us for a free, play-filled morning of art, science, literacy and building activities. Play is a fundamental part of early learning, and this event celebrates it through hands-on fun that encourages exploration and discovery.

Families can enjoy 50 interactive booths where kids can create art, try out different musical instruments, learn about the world around them through nature and science experiments, and much more!

• 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 6, at Scottsdale Civic Center
• Learn more.

Experience holiday magic during Scottsdazzle! Scottsdale’s monthlong holiday celebration runs through Dec. 31. Experience a month-long holiday celebration like no other - complete with dazzling decor, exceptional dining and shopping, festive tours, and unforgettable events. Don't miss the magic!

Learn more.

All aboard for Holiday Lights at the Railroad Park! Holiday Lights will take place 6-9:30 p.m. through Tuesday, Dec. 30, at McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park. The park will be transformed into a festive winter wonderland featuring dazzling light displays and train rides aboard the Paradise & Pacific Railroad. With limited capacity to enhance the guest experience, this popular event offers residents and visitors a chance to enjoy Scottsdale’s holiday spirit and create lasting memories with family and friends. Purchase tickets online.

Explore galleries during Scottsdale ArtWalk. Scottsdale is home to more than 100 galleries, dedicated to exhibiting the finest visual art from around the world and locally. Stroll at your own pace. 7-9 p.m. Thursdays. Specialty-themed Gold Palette ArtWalks are held 6:30-9 p.m. about once a month.

Ongoing:

• Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts: Attend exciting, live performances throughout the year.
• Find McDowell Sonoran Conservancy events.
• Discover Western Spirit: Scottsdale’s Museum of the West activities.
• Get Scottsdale Sister Cities events.

Get more events information.

PROGRAMS AND SERVICES

Veterans AZ: Matt Unsworth - Teaching through lived experience. In this episode of Veterans AZ, we sit down with Matt Unsworth, who has served both his country and his community in powerful, lasting ways. He’s a U.S. Army veteran who deployed to Iraq in 2004. Today, he brings that same sense of duty, discipline, and perspective into the classroom as a high school history teacher. We’ll talk about his experiences in Iraq, the vital role logistics plays in military campaigns, and how he helps students connect the past to the present through lived experience. This is a story about service, education, and the lasting impact of both.

FYI

Play ball! Tickets for 2026 Giants Spring Training go on sale Monday, Dec. 8. Baseball is right around the corner, and Scottsdale is gearing up for another unforgettable Spring Training season. Tickets for the 2026 Spring Training games at Scottsdale Stadium go on sale Monday, Dec. 8, giving fans the chance to secure seats early for one of the city’s most iconic traditions - and they make a perfect gift for the upcoming holiday season.

Scottsdale Stadium—home to the San Francisco Giants during the Cactus League season—will welcome fans beginning in February 2026 for weeks of baseball, sunshine and community celebration.

Donate to Scottsdale Fire Department’s Annual Toy Drive. Scottsdale Fire is now collecting unwrapped toys and gift cards through Dec. 22, at all fire stations and headquarters to support families in need. Each year, the effort gathers around 10,000 toys, helping more than 1,000 families. Donations are distributed to organizations such as Vista Del Camino, HonorHealth, Family Promise, Fosters Alliance and Harvest Compassion Center. Donors are especially encouraged to give items or gift cards suitable for children ages 7–12 and 13–18, which are often harder to shop for. For fire station locations, visit ScottsdaleAZ.gov and search “About Scottsdale Fire.”

Job of the Week: Solid Waste Equipment Operator II. In this role, you’ll operate large sanitation and rear-loading packer trucks to collect brush, bulk items and debris, ensure alleys and streets are clean after collection, and provide friendly customer service and share helpful educational information with residents.  Your work directly supports Scottsdale’s quality of life—keeping neighborhoods well-maintained while reducing hazards.

Learn more and apply.

NEW ONLINE:

SPD Bike Unit takes the Thanksgiving mystery-box challenge. Scottsdale Police Bike Unit officers put their senses to the test as they blindly guessed classic Thanksgiving side dishes in a fun mystery-box challenge. Want to see how well they did? Watch the reel!

Scottsdale teens earn Health Leadership honor. The Scottsdale Youth Substance Abuse Coalition was recognized with the Health Leadership Award for helping update the city’s smoking ordinance to include e-cigarettes and vapes. The effort was driven by SYSAC teen Siddhanth Gupta, whose advocacy helped strengthen protections for Scottsdale youth.

Inside day six of Scottsdale Fire’s EMS training. Last week, Scottsdale’s newest firefighters completed the sixth day of their EMS training, building critical skills to respond to the medical emergencies they’ll encounter most—from cardiac events to traumatic injuries. This hands-on training equips them to stabilize patients and save lives before they ever reach the hospital. Take a closer look at their journey. 

QUICK LINKS:

• City Call Center – 480-312-3111
• Report things that need to be fixed, or submit other requests via Scottsdale EZ
• Traffic Restrictions Map
• Stay in the loop, subscribe to ADOT Loop 101 construction updates
• Brush and Bulk Schedule
• Scottsdale Weather