District 1 Newsletter | May 2023

Maricopa County, Arizona sent this bulletin at 05/25/2023 01:34 PM MST

May 2023

It's Memorial Day!

Memorial Day is an opportunity to honor the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. Originally known as Decoration Day, it became an official federal holiday in 1971.

It's also the unofficial start of summer and for many, a long weekend. If you're heading outdoors this weekend, be careful. If you're on the water, use a life vest. If you're hiking, let someone know your destination, and bring water! While most visitors are vigilant about safety, the lake did have 11 fatal accidents last year along with several rescues. In fact, MCSO was called to 105 search and rescues across county lakes and trails in 2022.

If you're camping, be aware that our Parks and Recreation Department implemented a fire ban from May 1 - September 30. Open wood and charcoal fires are prohibited. Smoking outside enclosed vehicles, and using fireworks in these areas are already prohibited year-round.

Stay cool and enjoy the start of summer. Here's what's happening around the District and the County.

Around the District

I attended a Sister Cities reception in Tempe where the guests of honor were from Tempe's sister city, Agra City, India. Aman Chandra, PhD, has degrees from ASU and U of A. Aman's PhD project was on inflatable antennas to help provide improved broadband worldwide.

I spent an afternoon with Senator Mark Kelly who provided an update on his activities in the Senate.

I attended a tour of Maricopa County Elections Central with members of the media. The media got to ask questions about the election process or our organization. It's a process we would like every voter to understand.

AZCEND is an exceptional resource that serves the less fortunate in our community. The 2023 Annual Eggs Benefit Breakfast featured speakers who talked about how AZCEND helped keep their lives on track during difficult times.

I was honored to be included with this all star panel at a Chandler Chamber of Commerce event where we discussed infrastructure priorities and how important extending Prop 400 is for our economic future.

It was encouraging to attend the groundbreaking for additional transitional housing at St. Vincent de Paul. The project is a result of a great partnership between Maricopa County, the City of Phoenix, and the State of Arizona to expedite critically needed housing. We heard a very moving success story from Skip, (bottom left), a one time homeless veteran who credits this program for turning his life around.

Bob Worsley’s new venture is perhaps the most efficient living space on the planet. A complete home with a living room, two beds, an office and all modern appliances all in 640 sq ft. ZenniHome has models in downtown Mesa.

I participated in a stakeholder meeting with Gov. Katie Hobbs to discuss how important timing is for the extension of Prop 400 so we have critical infrastructure to support the phenomenal economic expansion happening in Arizona.

Around the County

Summer Reading Program Begins

Maricopa County's Summer Reading program, All Together Now, starts June 1. The program is for all ages, and points are earned by reading, completing challenges, attending events, and participating in community experiences.

District 1 has two unique transportation themed reading challenges: one for adults and one for children. Complete two tasks in these challenges to earn 20 extra points. Click on the links below to learn more.

Adult Challenge: Planes, Trains, and Automobiles
Children Challenge: Planes, Trains, and Automobiles

Not only are we encouraging readers to learn more about transportation, our readers can earn 10 bonus points by entering the secret code ONECOMMUNITY into the dashboard at MaricopaCountyReads.org.

Mosquito Treatments Near You

Want to know when mosquito treatments are scheduled for your area? Subscribe to Environmental Services calendar locations. Learn more about what you can do to help prevent mosquito breeding, avoid mosquito bites and stay healthy at Maricopa.gov/FightTheBite

Budget Plan Cuts Property Tax Rate for Third Consecutive Year

The Board of Supervisors is lowering the County's primary tax rate from 1.25 (or $125 on a $100,000 home) to 1.2 (or $120 on a 100,000 home). The Board is also cutting the overall county budget by 2.6% from fiscal year 2023. While some other counties are taxing as much as they are allowed under state law, Maricopa County’s tax levy is $232.8 million below the maximum.

The $4.35 billion budget includes $494 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funds, which Congress allocated to the nation’s fastest-growing county to help our community recover from the economic and social impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. You can see a full accounting of spending at Maricopa.gov/RescueFunds, and a full list of assistance programs at Maricopa.gov/Rescue.

As in years past, a significant portion (50%) of the county budget is allocated to public safety with the County Attorney’s Office adding 21 positions and the Sheriff’s Office adding 46 for security officers who will do additional screenings in jail for drugs, including fentanyl.

Long-term infrastructure projects—often referred to as capital expenditures—are a cornerstone of any county budget, and in FY 2024, those projects include multi-million dollars investments in regional parks, a new downtown office building to get the Public Health and Human Services Departments out of leased space, and a new animal shelter in the East Valley.

A vote on the final budget will take place on June 26. You can view today’s tentative budget presentation here or view budget documents anytime at Maricopa.gov/budget.

Maricopa County's New $7 Million Homelessness Investment

Maricopa County will provide Tempe with $7.3 million in American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) funding to acquire and rehabilitate a motel in Tempe.

The building will provide as many as 60 units of shelter to the region’s bridge housing stock to help people exit homelessness.

This new form of shelter is designed to accommodate all populations, including singles, couples, seniors, families with children, and individuals with disabilities. The property will also allow pets to be present.

Tempe will operate the facility as a homeless shelter for the next 10 years, after which it will have the option to convert to an alternative use, such as developing affordable housing.

This investment is one of several in recent weeks by the Maricopa County Board of Supervisors to collaborate and contribute more than $30 million in solutions to the regional issue of homelessness.

District 13 Legislator Appointed

The Board of Supervisors appointed Julie Willoughby, a registered nurse with a degree from ASU, to fill the Arizona House vacancy in Legislative District 13.

LD 13 covers a large portion of Chandler and some of Gilbert. It starts at SR-101 east to Lindsay Road, and from the Pinal County line north to Baseline Road.

Willoughby will serve through 2024. The next election for seats in the Arizona House will be the 2024 General Election.

Sun Lakes Pavement Rehabilitation Project

The Maricopa County Department of Transportation (MCDOT) will be doing a pavement rehabilitation project within the Sun Lakes, Units 11-22 community, beginning July 5 through November 2, 2023.

This work will be performed in eight phases, with each phase expected to last two weeks. Here's more information about the project and the work schedule.