District 1 Newsletter | February 2022

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Supervisor Jack Sellers, District 1

February 2022

The Power of Connections

Sellers signing Sister Cities

I’m a big believer in the power of connections. Connecting with your family and your community helps maintain social and mental health. Connecting is also crucial to building a healthy, robust workforce in a global economy. The networking and partnerships we have built in Maricopa County are why we have earned the top spot in the country for talent attraction for the second year in a row.

One effective method of connecting we use in District 1 is through our partnerships at Sister Cities International. The worldwide organization was established after World War II to rebuild diplomatic relationships through cultural and educational exchanges. It has evolved into a great tool for collaboration and economic development.

As Vice-President of Arizona Sister Cities, and President of the Chandler Sister Cities, I’ve been actively involved with the organization for many years and firmly believe in the importance of these relationships.

Our Sister City relationship with Tullamore, Ireland provided many local contacts for employees from Intel’s Ireland facility who trained in Chandler.

The connection with our other Sister City, Tainan, Taiwan started as a cultural exchange through Little League baseball and has evolved into much more.

It’s a continuation of a productive friendship with Dr. William Lai, the current Vice President of Taiwan. When Dr. Lai was mayor of Tainan and I was a member of the State Transportation Board, I played a significant role in getting a reciprocal driver’s license agreement established between Arizona and Taiwan.

It’s also a continuation of a vibrant working relationship between Chandler, Gilbert, Mesa, Phoenix, and the city of Taipei. The results of the Arizona/Taiwan connection have resulted in a significant economic impact to our region.

One of the biggest economic wins was from the Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Company. TSMC purchased more than 1,129 acres of undeveloped land in north Phoenix to build its multibillion-dollar semiconductor factory. Construction on the first phase is expected to be completed by 2024. It is the company’s first U.S. factory in two decades and will be one of just a handful of production sites outside of Taiwan. It will also generate 1,600 more jobs in Maricopa County.

Read more >

Small Business Assistance

give, rescue, help, restore, rescue

Maricopa County is offering grants up to $25,000 to help stabilize and support underserved small businesses, micro businesses, and nonprofits that have experienced a financial hardship due to COVID-19. The funds are available through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).

These grants are available to small businesses that can demonstrate revenue declines or unanticipated operating cost deficits from July 1, 2020 through December 31, 2020 as compared to July 2019 through December 2019. Applications will be accepted through March 31, 2022. 

More information is available here.

Find What You’re Looking For Faster

information

The most comprehensive source of information about our services and programs is on Maricopa.gov. In 2022, during the first year of the pandemic, nearly 20 million people visited the website to get information on the public health emergency and other pressing matters.

Need to do business with us?

  • Start with our “contact us” page where you can search our site by department or by the task you want to accomplish (i.e., get a birth certificate, apply for a permit, or find a restaurant rating). That page will take you directly to the information you want, or provide a number to call. Phone numbers are “click to dial” on mobile.
  • Not immediately finding what you want? Use our Google-powered search tool in the top right corner to get relevant results.

What Exactly Does the County Do?

Question

Let’s start with what we don’t do. We’re not a city or town, so we don’t collect your trash or provide your water. We’re not the state legislature so we don’t pass laws. Generally, our responsibilities are outlined by state statute.

They include:

  • Public safety, through the Sheriff’s Office which patrols unincorporated areas and staffs and operates jails
  • Public health, through our Public Health, Correctional Health, and Environmental Services Departments
  • Elections, through our Elections Department and Recorder’s Office
  • Regulatory functions that promote community wellbeing such as air quality, food safety, and development

We also manage parks and libraries, build roads, keep track of vital records, take care of homeless pets, and provide assistance programs to individuals and families from birth to the end of life. In short, we do a lot!

What Have You Done for Me Lately?

suicide prevention, heart, give

We believe in service that helps you solve a problem, move forward with a project, manage a difficult situation, or simply check something off your list. We’re not perfect, but here are a few of the things we’ve done recently to help the community and serve residents in a smart, efficient way.

  • Pandemic response including distributing personal protective equipment, vaccines, and up-to-date COVID-19 information down to the ZIP code and city level.
  • Streamlined recovery programs including emergency rental assistance that has distributed more than $100 million dollars to individuals and families during the pandemic to keep them in their homes.
  • Saving homeless pets. Our Animal Care and Control Department has a 97% save rate over the past year, meaning more good outcomes for dogs and cats.
  • Lower property taxes and transparent tax bills.
  • More options for getting business done online including permitting for home construction projects.
  • Smart work zones that provide real-time information to drivers and even autonomous vehicles to keep people moving and workers safe.

Around the District

State of Chandler 2 Up

Exciting State of the City by Chandler Mayor Kevin Hartke.

State of the City Mesa

At the Mesa State of the City. A very informative and fun event. Great things happening in the East Valley!

NACo Legislative

Virtually attended a Large Urban County Caucus meeting at the NACo Legislative Conference. Proud to serve as a Vice Chair of this group.

Gateway with Sinema

Enjoyed participating in a round table and tour with Senator Kyrsten Sinema at Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport to discuss critical infrastructure issues in the East Valley.

Asian Festival Photo 1Asian Festival

Enjoyed catching up with so many friends at the unveiling of Asian District signage at Mesa Light Rail Station.

Please let us know how we can better serve you.
Jack Sellers, District 1
Maricopa County Board of Supervisors
www.maricopa.gov/dist1/
602-506-1776