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.

As voters receive Early Ballots and we are 3 weeks away from voting in person, it’s a good time to review the items related to Glendale on the ballot..

The first is Proposition 437. The city is asking voters to approve granting a franchise agreement to EPCOR Water Arizona, Inc. Approval would allow EPCOR to construct, maintain and operate water and wastewater utilities within the city including any future annexations, west of 115^th Avenue.

The city council approved a policy for future annexations in far West Glendale that mandates the area be used for industrial, commercial and retail development, most particularly around the Loop 303 area. With EPCOR providing water and sewer services it does not require the city to invest millions of dollars in putting in the needed infrastructure in that area.  EPCOR already has customers and operates in that area as well as in some West Valley cities.

Granting voter approval for this franchise agreement in no way affects current city water and wastewater customers now getting those services from the city. There is no relationship between the two services.  As a franchisee of the city EPCOR will be required to pay the city three percent (3%) of its annual gross (not net) receipts. The estimated annual payment to the city is $825,612. It’s a win-win for the city and for EPCOR. I would recommend a ‘yes’ vote.

There are also 4 Bond Questions on the Nov. 3^rd ballot. The city issues bonds to pay for Capital Improvement Projects. These bonds are paid off over time, usually 25 or 30 years. The city has committed that it will issue no more bonds than that which can be paid off while keeping your property tax rate at its current rate. In other words, passage of these bond questions will not raise your property tax bill.

Question 1 is for Parks and Recreation in the amount of $87,200,000. These bonds would not be issued all at once but rather as other bonds are paid off that allows the city to issue new bonds without raising your property tax. Here are the specific projects for which the bonds will be used:

• Existing citywide park infrastructure improvements $31,819,400.00
• Heroes Regional Park Lake                                      4,435,000.00
• O’Neil Park Splash Pad                                            1,350,000.00
• Park play structures city wide                                  3,195,000.00
• Heroes Regional Park Build Out                             46,400,000.00

Question 2 is for Streets in the amount of $81,500,00. and lists specific streets that will be reconstructed. It costs between $3M and $4M to reconstruct one mile of arterial street. The specific streets are:

• 67^th Ave (Greenway to Bell Rd)                      $3,528,000.00
• 67^th Ave (Deer Valley Rd to Pinnacle Peak Rd) $3,704,400.00
• 59^th Ave (Glendale to Northern Ave)               $3,704,400.00
• Cactus Rd (59^th to 67^th Ave)                           $3,704,400.00
• 51^st Ave (Peoria Ave to Cactus Rd)                 $3,528,000.00
• 51^st Ave ( Olive Ave to Peoria Ave)                 $3,616,200.00
• 75^th Ave (Glendale Ave to Northern Ave)         $3,528,000.00
• 83^rd Ave (Glendale Ave to Northern Ave)         $4,254,000.00
• Arterial Street Reconstruction identified in the Capital Improvement Program (Years 6 through 10)   $51,932,600.00        

Question 3 is for the Landfill in the amount of $9,900,000.00 and any bonds issued will not be paid back from the General Fund. These bonds will be paid back by the consumers/rate payers that use city sanitation services.  Current bond repayments for previously issued bonds are already part of your monthly sanitation bill. These funds will be used for expansion of the city’s landfill as it opens the north cell and closes the south cell.   

Question 4 is for Flood Control in the amount of $9,300.000 and will be used for 3 specific projects:

• Storm drains, Camelback Rd ( 51^st Ave to 58^th Ave)                       $2,776,400.00
• Storm drains, 83^rd Ave (Bethany Home to Camelback)                    $3,129,500.00
• Drainage improvements, Glenn Dr (52^nd Ave to 59^th Ave)                $3,394,100.00

If all or any of these 4 Bond Questions do not pass, there will be no bond money to pay for them. The city options are to not build the project or scale it back. It should also be noted that when voters approve these bond questions, the bonds issued can only be used for the specific projects on the ballot that were voter approved.

I ask that you carefully consider all 4 questions. If you think they are worthy of investment then you will vote to approve them as I am doing.

^{© Joyce Clark, 2020}         

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