The Workforce and Economic Development Subcommittee approved the first of a three part 2020 downtown Enhanced Municipal Services District (EMSD) budget and assessment diagrams. Three approvals are required annually for the budget.
The EMSD’s budget goes toward making downtown Phoenix more walkable by cleaning streets, accommodating the needs of the community through ambassadors, streetscape improvements and maintenance, marketing, event promotion, business assistance and transportation services.
The EMSD provides services through Fillmore Street, 7th Street, 3rd Avenue and the railroad tracks south of Jackson Street.
The proposed budget will be $4.1 million, a 3 percent increase over 2019’s budget. Part of the budget, approximately $156,315, will go to streetscape maintenance expenses that will only be paid for by owners and tenants living in the Streetscape improvement district.
The downtown EMSD’s services are funded through assessments on property owners
within the Downtown EMSD boundaries.
The budget increase will go toward fixed costs like utilities, liability insurance and health insurance. At the moment, the budget will not increase the number of full-time employees.
The EMSD was formed in the 1990s by authorization of the City Council to further enhance downtown Phoenix.
“Its funds are used for things to beautify downtown, to bring events downtown, and to make improvements to downtown as its focus,” Christine Mackay, the community and economic development director at City of Phoenix, said.
Through a collaboration with the city and other affiliated organizations, Downtown Phoenix Inc. (DPI) carries out the work approved by the EMSD’s budget. DPI is an organization dedicated to making Phoenix a more vibrant urban city, alongside organizations like Downtown Phoenix Partnership and Phoenix Community Alliance.
“This is one of those organizations that does a lot of the nuts and bolts work, not big projects that people see all the time, but things that keep the glue of downtown together,” Executive Director of the Downtown Phoenix Partnership Dan Klocke said.
While the EMSD mainly focuses on the health and wellbeing of downtown Phoenix itself, the other affiliated organization work to meet the needs of the cities’ most vulnerable residents.
One of the key features of this work plan is their ambassadors. Downtown Phoenix Partnership, under the EMSD, has an ambassador program that focuses on safety and helping residents who are experiencing challenges.
Mackay said they also will continue their work with addressing homelessness by working with advocacy groups and human service providers.
“The ambassadors are able to make connections to our PHX C.A.R.E.S., which is our city’s homeless advocacy program, so the ambassadors can work and talk to individuals who are experiencing homelessness and able to get them services,” Mackay said.
The next sub committee meeting on the EMSD’s budget will be in October with a final meeting in November, with the latter being open for public comment. However, Klocke is confident that the budget will get approved.
“So far the folks who are paying the tax bills have been pleased with the work we’ve been doing, and we hope they continue to be pleased,” Klocke said.
Contact the reporter at lzambra2@asu.edu.
