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Tempe City Council determines 2010-2011 budget priorities

Tempe City Council determines 2010-2011 budget priorities

From the Tempe Newsroom:  Tempe will retain 67 Police, Fire and Court positions under a plan the City Council tentatively consented to today at a special workshop to determine how to cover a $33.7 million deficit in the 2010-11 budget. An additional 38 sworn public safety positions, and many other jobs in various city departments, would not be eliminated if voters pass a two-tenths of a percent sales tax increase during the May 18 General Election.

Community members can see the full list of City Council priorities starting Friday morning, when a color-coded grid will be posted to www.tempe.gov/budgetplan. The grid details the following budget balancing measures:

• Services, programs and 113 full-time positions that would be eliminated to cover the deficit. (Highlighted in red on the grid.) Among these changes are reducing hours of operation at the Tempe Public Library, increasing the weekly fee for Kid Zone by $2 a child, increasing driving school fees, closing the McClintock High School pool to public swimming and reducing the Police mounted unit. Of the 113 full-time positions, 18 are sworn officers in the Police Department.
• Services, programs and 71 full-time positions that have been identified for elimination but would be restored if the sales tax passes. (Highlighted in yellow on the grid.) They include eliminating the Police gang squad, eliminating several positions at community centers and in Parks and Recreation, eliminating the Fire dive team function and closing the Cahill Senior Center, among others. The City Council had previously agreed to move forward with a May 18 General Election ballot measure asking residents if they want to approve a two-tenths of a cent sales tax increase beginning July 1. The Council directed that the ballot measure will have language stipulating that the tax would go away after four years. An estimated $8 million a year could be generated by the tax.
• Services, programs and 67 full-time positions that Council has consented to restore. (Highlighted in green on the grid.)

The restorations would be made using $9.8 million in savings the Council determined during their previous budget workshops. The savings are made up of: $5 million in employee furloughs; $3 million in renegotiated healthcare costs; and $1.8 million in assorted other cuts and revenue-generating ideas, such as eliminating car allowances. Items they have decided to retain using these savings are the Police DUI squad, 15 firefighters, Police patrol squads and other Police functions. City staff members will use the Council’s priorities to develop the formal 2010-11 city budget. Final Council adoption of the budget will be June 10, with several public hearing dates before then. In February, Tempe held four community forums and four employee forums in order to provide information and get feedback about the budget balancing plan. Hundreds of comments have been received via e-mail and an online comment form. The 2010-11 fiscal year begins July 1, 2010, and ends June 30, 2011.

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Tempe March Election

Unofficial primary election results for Tempe, March 2010

Unofficial primary election results for Tempe, March 2010

Courtesy of  the Tempe Newsroom: Tempe City Clerk Jan Hort has released unofficial results for the city’s March 9 Primary Election. Incumbents Shana Ellis and Onnie Shekerjian appear to have been re-elected to four-year City Council terms. Candidate Robin Arredondo-Savage also appears to have been elected to the Council and voters passed a bed tax increase.

To be elected in the primary, a candidate must get 50 percent plus 1 of all ballots cast. With an estimated 13,350 ballots currently counted in the primary (through early voting and on Election Day), each candidate had to get 6,676 votes to be elected in the primary. Tempe has 83,778 registered voters. A complete count of votes, including provisional and early ballots not yet counted, will be released Friday evening. A final canvass of the votes is scheduled for March 25.

Voters appear to have passed the 2 percent increase to the city’s hotel bed tax. Unofficial results indicate there were 9,215 votes for the measure (69 percent) and 3,782 votes against (28 percent).

Unofficial tallies for City Council:

Shana Ellis – 8,667 votes (65 percent)
Onnie Shekerjian – 8,284 votes (62 percent)
Robin Arredondo-Savage – 8,199 votes (61 percent)
Mark Ortiz – 5,882 votes (44 percent)

Voter turnout was for the Tempe Primary election was 16 percent, with the majority casting early ballots.

The city’s May 18 General Election will include a question about whether voters want to increase the city’s sales tax from 1.8 percent to 2 percent for four years.

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Tempe's Proposed Budget Balancing Plan 2010

From the Tempe Newsroom:

City Manager Charlie Meyer’s plan (available at www.tempe.gov/budgetplan) is based on $30 million in reductions and revenue-generating ideas put forward by the city’s department managers in late December. The current proposal includes a variety of cost-cutting and revenue-generating ideas for the City Council’s consideration. Among them are workforce reductions, reduced hours at city facilities, program eliminations and new fees for some services. The measures proposed in the plan address how the city could correct a $30 million deficit that, without intervention, would occur in 2010-11 and in each year for the foreseeable future.

Specific Parks and Recreation/Community Services reductions that are proposed include:

• Closing the McClintock High School pool to public swimming
• Reducing in Tempe Public Library hours from 70 to 56. Currently the library is open seven 10-hour days. The new operating hours are to be determined, but they would be a combination that adds up to 56
• Closing the Cahill Senior Center at the Westside Multi-Generational Center and eliminating Sunday hours at the North Tempe Multi-Generational Center
• Increasing Kid Zone fees by $2 a week
• Eliminating counseling services to underserved and uninsured
• Reducing the number of youth sports programs

This month, Tempe employees and community members will have opportunities to learn about Meyer’s proposal and offer their feedback at a series of forums to be held around the city. Two community forums are scheduled for next week including:

• Monday, Feb. 22, from 6-8 p.m. at the Escalante Center, in the Senior Center
• Wednesday, Feb. 24, from 6:30-8:30 p.m. at South Tempe Police Substation

Final Council approval of the budget will be in May. The 2010-11 fiscal year begins July 1 and ends June 30, 2011.

The City Council has agreed to move forward with a May 18 General Election ballot measure asking residents if they want to approve a two-tenths of a percent sales tax increase beginning July 1. The language for the ballot measure will include an exemption for grocery purchases and a four-year lifespan for the tax.

Visit www.tempe.gov/budgetplan for Meyer’s full proposal, information on the February forums, a list of upcoming City Council budget discussions, a recap of the fall 2009 budget process, a feedback form, and access to the online comments submitted to date from employees and community members.

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Tempe State of the City Address provides "Shop Tempe" resource - Nov 2009

Tempe State of the City Address provides "Shop Tempe" resource - Nov 2009

Tempe Mayor Hugh Hallman's State of the City Address this morning spelled out the details of Tempe's financial situation while also discussing ways to improve upon it.

Five Tempe residents were showcased as community leaders in efforts to improve our city through a series of short videos. Mayor Hallman gave nods to Walt Richardson for his longtime efforts working toward the resurgence of music in Tempe, Raillife.com's Nick Bastian for his promotion of real estate around the light rail line, Christina Cenzano and the Dave's Electric Brewpub team to highlight the experiences of new business owners, Pastor Sang Hoon Yoo for his role with For Our City, a group of faith leaders helping in the community and Lisa Roach, for her work on a neighborhood committee to renovate her local park.

The speech, given at The Buttes Resort, and videos are available online at www.tempe.gov/elected/hallman.htm -- click on Additional Links, State of the City 2009.

Mayor Hallman also called out www.tempe.gov/shoptempe as a resource for businesses to sign up for exposure through the city. Tempe-based businesses may provide a synopsis of their business and contact information for this website. Shoppers may use this directory as a means to find local shops near them. Also online will be a series of gift-giving ideas. The first list, Help Your Neighbor, focuses on Mom and Pop shops that people love. New lists will be added monthly. 

In his Tempe State of the City Address Mayor Hallman said, "It is by better networking, and further reducing your costs of doing business in Tempe that we hope to help you and your businesses flourish in Tempe. We all must help one another succeed. Just as Tempe cannot succeed unless its surrounding communities do, most of us will not succeed independently; we must all work together to improve the business climate in Tempe, in Arizona, in this nation and across the globe."

The Shop Tempe initiative is a step in that direction.

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City of Tempe Boards and Commissions vacancies

City of Tempe Boards and Commissions vacancies

Tempe, Arizona — The City of Tempe is looking to fill the following vacancies on its volunteer Boards and Commissions:

• Tempe Aviation Commission: Four openings in January 2010. This commission advises the mayor and City Council and assists city departments on matters related to the impact of aircraft noise on Tempe residents; on the monitoring, implementation and enforcement of agreements made between the City of Phoenix and Tempe concerning the operations of Sky Harbor Airport; on studies conducted of Sky Harbor Airport and its impact on Tempe. Members serve for three years. The commission meets on the second Tuesday of each month.

• Building Code Advisory Board of Appeals: Openings for a building contractor, an architect and a fire protection consultant. This board interprets the provisions of the Building Code in special cases where the provisions may be inadequate and/or do not cover an issue in question and approves the use of alternate materials or construction methods. The board also recommends new regulations to the City Council and grants variances to the provisions of the Building Code. Members serve for three years. The board meets at least once every three months. Apply by Oct. 30.

• Board of Adjustment: Three openings in January 2010. This board hears appeals to denials of variances or approvals of abatements. The board consists of seven members and two alternates. Each member must be a Tempe resident. Alternate members serve at board meetings whenever one or more regular board member is unable to attend or must decline due to a conflict of interest. The terms are for three years and meetings are held as needed.

Tempe to induct eighth sister city on April 3

Tempe Sister Cities will celebrate the induction of its newest sister city, Cuenca, Ecuador, at a “Southwest Tapas” celebration on Friday, April 3, from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. at the Hackett House, 95 W. Fourth St. Tempe welcomed its last sister city, Carlow, Ireland, in 1998. 

Cuenca is Tempe’s first sister city located in the Southern hemisphere, as well as first to feature Spanish as its national language. Official visitors from Cuenca will include Richard Boroto, Director of the Abraham Lincoln School in Cuenca, and Luis Gallegos Chiribogo, Ecuador Ambassador to the United States.

In honor of the newest sister city, guests can enjoy fabulous southwest tapas-style cuisine, including southwest paella, spicy pork empanadas, tortilla española, grilled chimichurri beef skewers, flan, lime bars, white chocolate toasted pecan tamales and much more. There will be a cash bar featuring mojitos, sangria, wine, beer and soft drinks.

Admission is $15 for Tempe Sister City members or $20 for non-members. Tickets can be purchased at the Hackett House, or by calling 480-350-8181. Proceeds from the festival benefit the Tempe Sister Cities educational programs, which include the Annual Geography Bee, Cuisines of the World cooking classes, field trips for Tempe schoolchildren, Passport to Understanding children’s multi-cultural programs, the Young Artists program and more.

WHAT:     Induction of Cuenca, Ecuador into Tempe Sister Cities and
Southwest Tapas Celebration
WHO:    Hosted by Tempe Sister Cities Organization   
WHEN:    Friday, April 3, 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
WHERE:     Hackett House
                95 W. Fourth St. (one block west of Mill Avenue on Fourth St.)

For more information, visit www.hacketthouse.org.

About Hackett House:
The Hackett House is an organization formed through friendships that helps promote world peace awareness by providing award-winning children’s programs for the City of Tempe. It is the headquarters for the Tempe Sister Cities organization and offers a fun and exciting environment that encourages the exchange of customs and cultures worldwide in a historical setting. 
About Tempe Sister Cities:
In 1971, Tempe and Skopje, Yugoslavia, joined together as “sister cities”, becoming part of the people-to-people program started in 1956 by President Dwight D. Eisenhower and known today as Sister Cities International. Tempe went on to affiliate with Regensburg, Germany in 1976; Lower Hut, New Zealand in 1981; Zhenjiang, China and Timbuktu, Mali in 1989; Beaulieu-sur-Mer, France in 1997 and Carlow, Ireland in 1998.  Cuenca, Ecuador was added in 2009.

The Sister City concept of citizen involvement is unique in international programs because it provides the opportunity for everyday people of two cultures to exchange ideas and opinions, and hopefully, become friends.

Tempe City Council to consider agreement for Town Lake dam

At its March 26 meeting, the Tempe City Council will consider a tentative agreement with Bridgestone Industrial Products America, Inc. (BIPA) for a five-year replacement of the western Tempe Town Lake dam.

The agreement calls for BIPA to deliver Tempe four new rubber dam bodies and lease them to the city for five years with minimal financial burden on the city. The four rubber dam bodies make up the lake’s western dam. During the five years, Tempe will evaluate and select a permanent replacement system for the western end of the 2-mile lake, and pursue federal, state and county permits before installation.

The original rubber dam bodies were installed in 1999 with a 10-year warranty, which expires in June. In 2007, BIPA notified the city that it was exiting the rubber dam business. The City of Tempe is in the process of evaluating options for a permanent replacement system. The leased replacement dam bodies will give the city the time required to develop and plan for funding of the alternative system.

Tempe Town Lake has become a local, regional and national attraction for sports, arts and cultural activities. Over the last 10 years, private developers have flocked to the lake to build office, retail and residential projects – with many more planned for the future.

“We recognize the importance of the lake to the City of Tempe and what it means to this community,” said James Wheeler, Director of Operations & Finance, BIPA. “The end of the warranty period on the original rubber dam bodies and our company’s decision to withdraw from the rubber dam business left the city with a time crunch for evaluating its options for installing a permanent solution. We were happy to provide this stopgap and to create additional time for the city.” 

The parties also plan to install an overspray system to cool and protect the surface of the rubber dam bodies whenever the dam is not overtopped by lake water. The new spray system, which will use existing lake water to cool the dam and recycle the water back to the lake, will cool the rubber surface of the dam with minimal impact on the city’s operating expenses.

Town Lake’s eastern dam will remain in place, according to the agreement to be considered Thursday.

If the City Council approves the agreement, BIPA would begin manufacturing the dam bodies. Tempe would hire a contractor to install them, at BIPA’s cost, one section at a time using a coffer dam the city already owns. Full replacement with the new rubber bodies would conclude in less than two years. Meanwhile, Tempe will pursue replacement with a permanent solution within five years.

About Bridgestone Industrial Products America, Inc.:
Bridgestone Industrial Products America, Inc. (BIPA) is a wholly owned subsidiary of Bridgestone Corporation in Tokyo, Japan. BIPA is a sales company with its principal office located in Nashville, Tenn.

Tempe invites community comments on budget balancing effort

Community members can follow the Tempe City Council's efforts to balance the city budget at www.tempe.gov/budgetplan, where updates will be posted about upcoming Council meetings, past meetings will be available to view online, and feedback can be submitted via an online form.

At a series of upcoming meetings, the City Council will discuss how best to balance the city budget while maintaining high levels of service to the community. They began the discussion at their Feb. 19 meeting and continued it March 3, working from a staff-prepared budget balancing proposal as a starting point. These and future meetings also are available for viewing on the budget Web page.

Councilmembers will continue to discuss their priorities and preferences for balancing the budget. The budget balancing measures eventually decided on by Council are the first steps in preparing the city's 2009-10 budget.

The City Council has scheduled the following public meetings as opportunities for further discussion. The meetings will take place in City Council Chambers, 31 E. Fifth St. If you plan to attend, please check the City Clerk's Web page (www.tempe.gov/clerk) to confirm these meeting dates and times.

Thursday, March 5 (*cancelled*)
4-5 p.m.

Tuesday, March 24
1:30-4 p.m.

Thursday, March 26 (if needed)
3-5 p.m.

In addition to the public meetings, employees and community members may submit their feedback via an online form at www.tempe.gov/budgetplan.
All comments will be compiled and provided to the City Council for their review and consideration. Comments will be public records subject to release to media or other requestors. Comments will be posted on the www.tempe.gov/budgetplan page for public viewing. Names are optional on the feedback forms.

Survey results improve in many areas from 2007 to 2008

City of Tempe residents have voiced positive feelings and constructive feedback about the services, programs and facilities provided in their community. 

More than 800 residents weighed in on questions dealing with water service, parks, trash collection, public safety and more. Their ratings give the City of Tempe important information about how well it is providing services. In most areas, Tempe residents rated the city higher in 2008 than in 2007. Complete survey results are available at www.tempe.gov/2008residentsurvey. 

Kansas-based ETC Institute conducted the survey and compared Tempe to its database of cities across the country. Tempe ranked in the top five percent of cities nationally when it came to the satisfaction of residents. Survey respondents expressed overall satisfaction levels of
92 percent - that's 34 percent above the national average.

Highlights of the 2008 survey include:

• Satisfaction with city water services rated 21 percent above the national average (91 percent in Tempe vs. 70 percent in U.S.)
• Satisfaction with the condition of city streets rated 25 percent above the national average (81 percent in Tempe vs. 56 percent in U.S.)
• Satisfaction with enforcement of traffic laws rated 19 percent above the national average (71 percent in Tempe vs. 52 percent in U.S.)

 

An ETC Institute representative will be present at the Tempe City Council's 6 p.m. Issue Review Session this Thursday, March 5, to review the survey results. The meeting is in City Council Chambers, 31 E. Fifth St.

Tempe Mayor's Run set to raise $150,000

TEMPE, Ariz. - Most mayors run for office. Not many run marathons. Or half marathons.
 
Tempe Mayor Hugh Hallman not only is running the P.F. Chang's Rock 'n'
Roll Arizona Half Marathon, he's leading a team of more than 200 runners and walkers. The Mayor's Run for Youth, Education and Social Services is expected to raise about $150,000 this year for eight Tempe charities.
 
Mayor Hallman will host a pep rally for his team from 5 - 9 a.m. on Thursday, Jan. 15 at Tempe Beach Park. Joining him will be running coaches, athletes, representatives of the PF Chang's Rock 'n' Roll Marathon Arizona organization and the business sponsors, such Wolff Companies and SunCor, who have raised money for the philanthropic and physically exhausting efforts of Tempe's athletes.
 
A mini race will take place at about 7 a.m. You will have the opportunity to take part of stretching, calisthenics, and other exercises with Mayor Hallman and the athletes.
 
For those courageous members of the media who lost to the mayor in his Ironman Challenge, here's a chance to even the score.
 
Tempe charities being assisted by the Mayor's Run for Youth, Education and Social Services include:
 
*             Tempe Community Action Agency
*             Tempe Community Foundation
*             Tempe Family YMCA
*             Care, Inc.
*             Tempe High School JAG
*             Marcos de Niza High School JAG
*             Tempe Preparatory Academy
*             The Centers for Habilitation
 
Visit www.tempe.gov/business/mayorsrun for more details.