[poll id=”29″]Disclaimer: The comments in this blog are my personal opinion and may or may not reflect an adopted position of the city of Glendale and its city council.
Glendale’s city council vacates during the month of July. It’s a good time to catch up on my blog writing. This year there will be no vacation and no deep sea fishing in California. I thought it was a good time to honor my promise to share on what I spent my council funds. After all, it is taxpayer money and we are charged to spend it prudently.
Councilmembers actually have two budgets. You can see my budget spreadsheets here: Councilmember Expenses . Fund 52100 in the amount of $15,000 is for councilmember designated Infrastructure Projects within the councilmember’s district. When I resumed office in January of 2017 I decided that I wanted to obtain an LED sign for Heroes Park. This permanent LED sign infrastructure will provide the city and myself the opportunity to message people in the district about city activities, events and notices of importance. This is a pilot project and the first sign of its kind (an LED sign) in any city park or facility.
When I first started on this journey of obtaining an LED sign the initial estimate was approximately $19,000. Over time the cost has doubled to $38,000 not just for the sign itself but for the wiring, etc. that is needed to make it operable. To satisfy the cost, I have dedicated infrastructure funds for FY 2017-18, FY 2018-19 and FY 2019-2020 to pay for its cost.
The construction of the permanent, Phase I of the West Branch Library began this June. It is slated for completion next March of 2019 (I wouldn’t take this completion date to the bank). As the library nears completion the LED sign will be installed. I expect it to be installed sometime in January or February of 2019.
Another infrastructure project I chose to pursue was newly installed this June and is new signage for the Desert Mirage area. The sign is located at the 91st Avenue and Maryland Avenue
New Desert Mirage
Entry Sign
entrance. The letters were individually mounted on the sign base and over the years enterprising individuals have stolen various letters. It’s been an ongoing aggravation. They are replaced and then stolen once again. This year I invested approximately $1800 of my infrastructure budget in new signage for both sides of the base. They are dark burgundy colored metal plates with the letters cut out of the metal. It is my hope that this will permanently solve the problem of pilfered letters.
The second councilmember budget, called Professional Development (Funds 511400 and 518200) in the amount of $18,000 is used for professional development, constituent communications and activities, office supplies and miscellaneous. This year an expense charged to this budget will be my attendance at the annual Arizona League of Cities and Towns Convention this August. I have chosen to attend this year because it is being held in the Valley area and rather than paying for staying at a hotel I can drive to and from the site daily. The cost of convention registration is $295.00.
Major expenses within the Professional Development budget are twofold: my twice yearly district newsletter mailed to every home in my district at a cost of about $6,500 per newsletter (printing and mailing). Another $2,000 is allocated for expenses for my twice yearly district meetings. Between these two items I expend $15,000 of the $18,000 budget strictly on constituent communications.
That leaves $3,000 for miscellaneous expenses. This past year, I donated $500 to support the Kilt Run at Westgate; $600 for the Mayor’s bowling event; and $500 for the Rotary’s renovation project. I spent another $500 on additional Heroes Park directional parking signs (5 of them). The remaining $1000 was used for miscellaneous expenses such as the council office Christmas party, joint expense for funeral flowers for various individuals, a ticket for the Glendale Women’s Club Luncheon or Glendale’s Art Preview Party or lunch for staff on a field trip to learn about lake systems in other Valley communities (as we prepare to construct a water feature at Heroes Park).
I try to be very frugal with taxpayer dollars and to always keep in mind that it should be primarily spent on citizen outreach or on an infrastructure project that solves a problem within my district.
When I invite someone to a working business lunch I pay the tab out of my personal funds. I do not charge the city for mileage or use of a cell phone. I use my personal computer at home to access my city email account to do city business.
This narrative has given you an idea of councilmember expense choices. If you wish to look at the Mayor’s or other Councilmembers’ expenses please go to:
- glendaleaz.com
- click on “Follow Your Money”
- Choose the “Fiscal Year”
- Click on “Department Spending”
- Click on page 2
- Click on “Council Office”
- Choose a council district and click on it
It’s an interesting exercise to try sometime. You never know what you will learn.
© Joyce Clark, 2018
FAIR USE NOTICE
This site contains copyrighted material the use of which is in accordance with Title 17 U.S. C., Section 107. The ‘fair use’ of any such copyrighted material as provided for in Section 107 of the US Copyright Law and who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democratic, scientific and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a ‘fair use’ of any such material. For more information go to http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond ‘fair use,’ you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.
Joyce, thank you for taking the time to explain your budget spending this year, it’s clear you take a lot of pride in the transparency of your spending.
With that said, as I read this i was first in complete shock on the pricing of the Heroes Park sign doubling in cost from 19k to 38k….
While I am certainly no expert in LED signage, I can’t phantom why this sign would double in cost, when the 19k originally looked like a gouge in pricing…..LED signage is not a new technology, and pricing has certainly declined in the past years.
My second surprise came in the cost of the new steel sign for desert mirage at the cost of 1800 dollars. This time, I can speak with a little more experience in this type if signage. The letters are cut by an abrasive water jet machine, and a very expensive unit at that…..However I have to question the cost of this project as well. I feel that if I called a few shops that do this and asked for the same signage the feel that the price would be substantially less then if I introduced myself calling in the interest of Glendale.
In no way am I insinuating the money was spent in a careless fashion, because i dont nelibe it was.
But what I do feel is that the opportunity to provide a service to your city (I am hoping that all this was sourced from a few Glendale businesses) would certainly be worthwhile in some ways becomonh an honorable mention of service to future customers.
Again, I am no expert and may be assuming this can be done at lower costs, without having a l efffg to stand on….but it just seems really high…
Jay,
It comes with the territory. The minute you say it is a City of Glendale project….no matter who the vendor…the cost goes up. If I could figure a way around it I would. Perhaps buying something on my personal credit card and requesting reimbursement from the city is the answer but as you can see, the items are pretty pricey.