1. Municipal ID debate continues at City Hall
In a 5-4 vote, City Council voted to issue a “request for information,” reaching out to private-sector companies to discover if any are interested in taking on the creation of a municipal ID, according to AZCentral.com.
The measure faces opposition from local groups and even state legislators. State Sen. John Kavanaugh has introduced a bill (SB 1017) that would prevent Phoenix from creating cards that serve as forms of identification. Opponents fear that the card will allow undocumented immigrants to receive city services and legal status.
RELATED: One Phx ID group advocates to bring municipal identification cards to Phoenix residents
Two types of ID were discussed. One is a Unified City Services card, which would be used for services such as transit, libraries, parks and human services alongside being a municipal ID. The other less expensive and easier-to-implement proposal was just a municipal ID, with no other services attached, according to the City Council report.
The limited-use municipal ID would cost hundreds of thousands to implement, while the more comprehensive multi-use municipal ID would cost around $5 million.
2. Budget Cuts on the Horizon for 2016-2017 Fiscal Year
Acting Budget and Research Department Director Jeff Barton gave an update on the 2016-2017 General Fund Budget status on Dec. 15. Originally Phoenix was expecting a $31 million to $58 million deficit for the 2016-2017 fiscal year. Due to budget surplus in the 2014-2015 fiscal year of $25 million, that projected deficit was reduced to $6 million to $33 million.
Every department besides police, fire, Office of Homeland Security & Emergency Management, municipal court, city prosecutor and public defender is expected to cut expenditures by approximately 7 percent. The public safety and justice departments will cut their expenditures by 5 percent.
The Budget and Research Department is expecting to identify more cuts in the near future if more budgetary problems come up.
The contingency fund is currently at $46 million in case of any unforeseen budget shortfalls in the near future.
3. City Council Begins Planning Sale of Human Resources Building
On Dec. 16, City Council authorized a two-step Request for Proposals to sell off the Human Resources building on Second Avenue. The building has $2.2 million of outstanding debt. Once the city gets rid of the building it will save $400,000 in utilities, maintenance, and landscaping costs per year.
RELATED: City Council to decide fate of costly human resources building in December
Step one of the Request for Proposals would be to determine if potential buyers are qualified to financially handle the burden of the $2.2 million debt, and be able to redevelop the aging building. The second step would be for buyers to submit bids and disclose to the city whether they would need assistance to make their proposal a viable option, and to inform the city how the building will be used.
One hundred human-resource staffers will also need to be moved to the Calvin C. Goode building at a cost of $1.2 million to the city.
4. Phoenix Economic Indicator Report Reveals Modest Growth
The key economic indicators for Phoenix in October 2015 were presented before the Finance, Efficiency, Economy and Sustainability Subcommittee on Dec. 16. There is projected to be modest growth in residential construction permits and continued strength in the amount of multi-family unit permits, coinciding with a 2 percent growth in population within Maricopa County, according to the Planning and Development Department. The month’s economic growth totaled 5.2 percent the year before.
The primary net assessed value of Phoenix property was up 2.7 percent, commercial property value was up 8 percent and single and multi-family residential properties were up 29 percent over the previous year.
The median household income for the calendar year of 2014 was $47,929, down from the peak of $57,507 in 2008. Phoenix had a 5.4 percent unemployment rate in 2014 down half a percent from 2013, according to the report.
5. Phoenix Energy Conservation Plans Making Headway
Mark Hartman, the city’s chief sustainability officer, addressed the Finance, Efficiency, Economy and Sustainability Subcommittee on Dec. 16 concerning the progress regarding the city’s 2020 energy-use reduction goal and the 2025 renewable-energy goal.
Energy consumption has been reduced by 8.4 percent between 2009 and 2014. In that same time the total square footage of all buildings increased by 3 percent. The city saved $1 million dollars annually because of this, according to Hartman’s report.
The city has engaged in over 30 renewable energy projects to reach the 15 percent renewable-energy goal. Hartman’s report claims that the city is already halfway to its goal, with future projects in the works including hydroelectric power from the Hoover Damn being allocated to the city to put it well over Phoenix’s goal.
Contact the reporter at Kmlane5@asu.edu.
