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Vice Mayor Greg Stanton's
Arcadia News Column
February 2004
As your representative on the Phoenix City Council, the most important responsibility I maintain each year is overseeing and approving our city budget. It is critical that our city budget reflect our community's priorities. However, the last few years have been difficult budget years, and this has required tough decision-making by the mayor and council. As a community, we can be proud that our city has handled these tough budget times responsibly, always ensuring full funding of community priorities while maintaining a balanced budget. Our budgets have always fully funded our most important priority -- police, fire and emergency management resources.
Although discussions about the city budget can be a bit dry, it is important that you understand the process and know that your input is critical. Each year the preliminary budget changes as a result of community input.
Phoenix maintains a general fund budget of $893 million. The general fund pays for critical city services such as police, fire, parks and libraries. Over the past two years, Phoenix has faced the most serious budget challenges in its history. In fiscal year 2001-02, the City Council was required to make $23 million in mid-year budget reductions. In fiscal year 2002-03, another $72 million in mid-year budget reductions was required. Phoenix acted responsibly by making mid-year cuts instead of waiting until the end of the fiscal year, thus saving our city more than $5 million in additional cuts. Due to its fiscal responsibility, Phoenix has maintained a very high municipal bond rating. However, it is important to note that demand for city services continues to increase -- particularly with our homeland security responsibilities. We have accepted these challenges fully, despite little support from the federal government.
Before going into the next year's outlook, let me review the city's budgeting process. Each year the city's budget is developed in conjunction with the mayor and City Council, residents, city employees, the city manager's office and all city departments. The city's fiscal year is July 1- June 30.
The city manager prepares a trial budget, based upon input from all city departments and the City Council. This trial budget is submitted to the Council early each spring. The purpose of this preliminary budget is to enable the community to review and provide valuable input to the budget well before the city manager is required to submit a recommended budget in mid-May. Numerous public hearings then are conducted throughout the community seeking public input, some focusing specifically on seniors and youth. Thereafter, the City Council makes final budget approval.
For the current fiscal year (2003-2004), budget projections appear more positive. Our planning assumes no state-shared revenue cuts by the state Legislature. These revenues have been shared with Arizona cities and towns as a result of three initiatives approved by Arizona voters beginning in the 1940s and our critical for full funding of essential city services.
If you have comments or concerns about the city budget or want more information on how to participate in our budget planning, please feel free to call my office at 602-262-7491, send an e-mail to greg.stanton@phoenix.gov or visit my Web site at
www.phoenix.gov/DISTRICT6.
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