Rio Nuevo Approves Tightened 2021 Budget
Source: Rio Nuevo Facing a substantial reduction in next year’s revenue due to COVID-19, the Rio Nuevo Board approved a break-even budget reflecting an estimated $6M reduction in annual state tax revenue. The District has been dramatically impacted by COVID-19 related business closures and the subsequent economic slowdown. The District ended the year with a little over $6M cash on hand and has elected to hold those funds as a […]
Yuma Council Mulls CIP Projects
By Mara Knaub for Yuma sun The Yuma City Council scrutinized the Capital Improvement Program plan for 2021 in a roundtable discussion. The CIP budget, at $51.4M, is more than last year, but the city expects 45 percent of the costs to be recovered through grants, reimbursements and private-public partnerships. City Engineer Jeff Kramer noted that the needs are greater than the available resources, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Deputy Mayor Karen Watts thanked […]
Gov. Doug Ducey Unveils $12.3B State Spending Plan
By Maria Polletta, Andrew Oxford, Lily Altavena and Rachel Leingang for The Arizona Republic Buoyed by even healthier than expected state revenue projections, Arizona Gov. Doug Ducey unveiled a $12.3B spending plan for the next fiscal year that places two of his longtime priorities — public safety and education — front and center. The plan boosts spending by more than $600M above […]
SDLE Pursues Cap. Projects from Gen. Fund
By Terrance Thornton for Scottsdale Independent Despite the confirmation that matching funds may never materialize, Scottsdale City Council approved both General Fund and Transportation Fund contingency transfers totaling $10.4M to begin work on five capital improvement projects. Council approved five separate resolutions focused on preparing planning documents to potentially thwart flood waters from ravaging different […]
Infrastructure Funding Delays Cause Ripples
By Roland Murphy and Rebekah Morris for Arizona Builder’s Exchange Last month, the White House assured the nation that President Trump remains committed to the massive infrastructure investment (up to $1T) he promised during the campaign. However, a report by The Hill says any serious discussion of the program’s details will likely be pushed to […]
Budget Offers Counties Some Relief
By Rebekah L. Sanders for The Arizona Republic Arizona counties will continue struggling to fix roads, staff sheriff patrols and make payroll next year because the state has pinched their revenue since the Great Recession. But the Arizona Legislature’s budget for next year offers some relief. Counties will fork over about $32M to help balance the state budget that […]
Gilbert Growing, Investing to Meet Demand
By Rebekah Morris for Arizona Builder’s Exchange The Town of Gilbert is growing fast and one place that’s evident is the five-year Capital Improvement Plan. The 2018-2022 planning document shows a healthy $957.5M five-year total, with $483.3M budgeted in FY17-18. This represents an increase of 11.69 percent over last year’s program. Budget Director Kelly Pfost […]
Schools Sue State Over Construction Funding
By Howard Fischer for Capitol Media Services Just a year after settling one education funding lawsuit, state lawmakers face a new one, this time over what challengers say is their failure to build and properly maintain public schools. The lawsuit is based on claims that the Legislature is effectively ignoring a 1994 ruling by the […]
Counties Suffer After Years of Funding Sweeps
By Rebekah L. Sanders for The Arizona Republic County officials across the state are waiting anxiously for the Arizona Legislature to deliver its 2018 budget to Gov. Doug Ducey, warning they could be on the brink of financial disaster if the state doesn’t throw them a bone. Counties have shouldered more than $500M in funding […]
AZ Needs $105B for Infrastructure Over 25 Yrs
Source: Rose Law Group Reporter All roads led to Pinal County last week as three ADOT executives spoke in Casa Grande at a Pinal Partnership event. John Halikowkski, ADOT director, Michael Kies, director of ADOT’s multimodal planning division and Jesse Gutierrez, ADOT deputy state engineer for statewide operations, discussed the recent poor grade U.S. infrastructure […]