Email Newsletter Received from Councilperson Virginia Korte, 10/15/2015
“VOTE YES FOR SCOTTSDALE BONDS
On November 3rd the Citizens of Scottsdale will be voting for six bond questions, totally $95.5 million dollars. The projects to be funded are capital improvement needs within our city: transportation, public safety, community buildings and parks and technology infrastructure. The cost to the average homeowner is estimated to be $3.55 per month, or $42.63 annually.
Some citizens question the Scottsdale City Council’s decision to bring this bond measure to the voters (BTW, it was a 6 -1 vote in support of the bond package). They say the City is able to pay for these capital improvements through the General Fund.
Our General fund primarily pays for the operations of the city like library services, parks and recreation, public safety and more. When, at the end of each fiscal year, there is an overage of income versus expenses, the Scottsdale Council funded some capital improvement projects. The last eight years, we were able to invest $52 million dollars in capital projects from the General Fund.
Hardly enough funds to invest in current capital needs.
Since 1989 the citizens of Scottsdale voted for capital bonds exceeding $700 million dollars. We built libraries, parks, senior centers, public safety facilities, widened roadways, implemented flood control systems, constructed our Giants Spring Training Baseball Field and more.
Our quality of life is in large part, due to our willingness to invest in our community through bonded capital projects.
Please vote yes on all six questions to affirm our dedication to our city’s future in a manner that benefits residents and visitors alike. The 2015 Proposed Bond Program for the City of Scottsdale aims to put nearly $100 million dollars in improvements where it belongs: in our city.
Let’s Put Scottsdale First! Vote YES for Scottsdale Bonds, Questions 1-6!
Virginia Korte
Scottsdale City Council Member”
Email Newsletter Received from Councilman David Smith, 10/11/2015
“After 15 Years…
It’s Time To Invest In Scottsdale!
October 11, 2015
Dear Friends…
Scottsdale has submitted to voters a capital reinvestment program of $96 million for improvements to streets, parks and public safety facilities. The proposed investments will be financed with 20-year bonds, repaid with property taxes costing the average ($371,000) homeowner just $3.55 per month.
I’ve thought about some of the project benefits versus average monthly cost for each of the six questions on the ballot. These are some of the reasons why I strongly support the entire program:
Q1: Parks and Recreation
$1.18 per month will fund planned improvements to our signature park on the Indian Bend Wash and make restrooms ADA compliant. What got my attention, however, was a project to eliminate chlorine treatment of our public pools. I would readily pay $1.18 every month to insure all citizens…especially our children and seniors…don’t have to swim in pools treated with toxic chemicals!
Q2: Transportation
62¢ a month on some road improvements will entitle us to another 41¢ in matching highway funds. That’s a great way to leverage our investment dollars, but for me the real value is spending money to protect pedestrians and bicyclists trying to cross Chaparral Road at Hayden. For me, a single injury avoided is worth the entire 62¢!
Q3: Citywide Technology
25¢ a month buys the technology upgrades the city needs. The biggest part of this will insure continuity of critical city services in the event of a disaster, including 911 police and fire services. If I ever need quick access to 911 in a disaster, 25¢ a month will seem like a real bargain!
Q4: Street Pavement Replacements
46¢ a month would bring 140 miles of streets back to conditions that eliminate cracks and potholes. I figure if I can avoid just one front-end realignment on my car, this would be a handsome return on investment!
Q5: Public Safety – Fire
60¢ a month builds fire stations that allow firefighters to move out of “temporary” trailers. What persuaded me was the need to relocate Station 603 for better response times to the residents on McCormick Ranch. Station 603 was built forty years ago to serve homeowners when McCormick Ranch was, literally, a ranch!
Q6: Public Safety – Police
44¢ a month renovates our downtown police station and jail, built in 1971. I’m not thrilled to spend money on jails, but if I can be better protected from criminal elements who pass through our city, I think 44¢ a month is more than a bargain!
It’s been fifteen ( 15 ! ) years since voters authorized capital improvements to our city infrastructure. Don’t let political rhetoric of “what should have been done” or “what could be done” drown out the urgency of these bond questions.
Review the Voter’s Pamphlet mailed to you in late September and see all the projects each ballot question will authorize. Decide for yourself how these projects will improve your quality of life.
Whether the cost for you is more or less than $3.55 per month, I urge you to join me in voting to invest in our city – Scottsdale! Please vote YES for all six questions, whether you vote by early ballot or vote on November 3.”
Email from Howard Myers, 10/7/2015
To All,
Scottsdale will be asking you to vote on a new bond proposal that will raise the property tax you pay. Similar proposals have been voted down in the last few years, mainly because the council did not allow you to vote on specific projects separately, but rather combined many projects into each bond question. The obvious problem with this approach is that residents have no control over where money is spent, and also there are bad projects put in the same question with good ones. This bond proposal isn’t much different, so obviously the council majority is not getting the message which is let us select which projects we feel should be funded. Councilman Phillips also raised valid issues with his My Turn in today’s Arizona Republic and is not supporting the bond package. It is included below if you haven’t seen it. Councilman Smith and Councilwoman Milhaven also had a My Turn urging you to support the entire bond package and I have included that below as well. Councilwoman Littlefield, who opposed the last bond election is supporting this one.
The real problem is that the city has assets that are not being maintained, including buildings, parks, roads, and infrastructure other than water and sewer that have their own fees to cover maintenance. There is no line item in the annual budget for maintenance of assets, much less for capital improvements. Instead they are using bonds to raise the money required to repair and or replace assets as well as for capital expenditures (new projects). No business could be run this way and the city shouldn’t be run this way either. We need to fix this and raise enough money each year to put some aside to cover maintenance of our assets, just like any successful business would do, however that won’t happen with this council and therefore the only real solution is to change the makeup of the council.
The other problem is that some of what is proposed as capital projects was caused by up-zoning land, increasing population density, and therefore taxing our existing infrastructure. The expansion of Happy Valley Road is a typical example of costs that should have been borne by the developers, who benefitted from the zoning change, and not by residents.
While I am upset that they still aren’t getting the message, and even worse that they are not planning for, and funding, much needed maintenance of city assets, and also agree with some of Councilman Phillip’s concerns, we need to invest in our city to keep it the great place it is, so from my perspective I think the right thing to do is pass this bond package and then put pressure on the council to spend it wisely. If we continue to not invest in our city, it will continue to degrade and we shouldn’t let that happen.
There are certainly valid reasons to go either way, so use your best judgment, but I have given you what guidance I can in forming my own opinion. You can find information on the bond election at http://www.scottsdaleaz.gov/elections.
Howard
.
Related Articles and Websites
Scottsdale Bond Election, Tues., Nov. 3rd, Information, Peak Poll, Arguments, Reader Comments – Published 10/15/2015
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