Opinion
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Community Commentary
City budget represents a cautious approach to prudent governing BY MAYOR JAY TIBSHRAENY
The City Council recently approved the 2013-14 Fiscal Year Budget and Capital Improvement Program (CIP). I want to thank the hundreds of residents of Chandler who provided input throughout the course of this effort. Each year, the city budget is the result of thousands of hours Mayor Jay Tibshraeny of work on the part of our city staff, the City Council and you, the people of Chandler. It is a transparent process that includes many meetings and other avenues of public outreach. Chandler is in a good position today. It is because of decades of solid fiscal policies that we have in place. That was validated for the past two years by the financial website 247wallst.com listing the City of Chandler as one of the top 12 Best Run Cities in America. It also means we can pass along a great value to our taxpayers. Chandler remains the second-lowest Valley municipality in cost of service—combined city utility, property tax and sales tax rates. And we do this with one of the lowest employee ratios in the region. While the 2013-14 budget shows a slight decrease from the prior year, we are able to fund some road projects in south Chandler, build new parks and continue basic services and infrastructure improvements. We also moved some park projects forward in our 10-year CIP plan. Although we still face challenges in terms of property valuation because of the state’s two-year lag on assessments, I continue to be guardedly confident that we are heading in a positive direction with the economy in terms of our fiscal sustainability and growth. We are now seeing some slow yet steady growth on the revenue side from sales tax collections and other generators. It should be noted that our ability to maintain existing infrastructure while developing some new amenities is somewhat rare among Arizona cities in these times. That is particularly noteworthy given that we are keeping the city’s portion of the property tax levy for the coming year level. Chandler’s municipal management team and budget staff prepared a thoughtful and prudent plan. And the City Council remained cautious through the long and demanding budget process. I understand very well the critical nature of this task, and remain committed and focused on the continued success of this community. Chandler is a terrific city, mainly because of the engagement of our residents who helped to guide us through this critical time.
BY TOM NOVY, SRP
The Southeast Valley is a wonderful place to live and work, and now we are beginning to see signs of economic growth in the area that will only fortify the benefits of this great community. New home construction is on the rise and new businesses are once again choosing to locate in the Southeast Valley. As reported in the last edition of the SanTan Sun News, OnTrac, an Arizona-based shipping company, announced it is relocating its corporate headquarters to Chandler in the area known as the Price Road Corridor (PRC). OnTrac joins a number of large industrial companies in this thriving employment area that require large amounts of electricity. These businesses will provide thousands of jobs during the next several decades and the city of Chandler expects many other new companies to move to the Price Road Corridor in the coming years. But they will not come if there is not adequate electricity to support their needs. That is why Salt River Project recently initiated a public process to site new 230-kilovolt (kV) overhead power lines and two new electrical substations to meet the expected growing demand for electricity in the Price Road Corridor. The new infrastructure will increase service reliability to current residential and commercial customers in the region and ensure that we can meet future demand caused by growth. SRP began planning for this expected growth years ago and submitted a plan to the Arizona Corporation Commission in January 2012 to bring needed energy supplies to the area. Using a number of resources, including information about zoning, planned area development and anticipated customer expansion as well as forecast information from the Chandler’s Economic Development Division, SRP has determined that our current system will not support additional energy demand in the PRC after 2016 unless new infrastructure is
PO Box 23 Chandler, AZ 85244-0023 TELEPHONE: 480-732-0250 FAX: 480-883-8714 ©2013 SanTan Sun News
in place. Simply upgrading our current 69kV system will not accommodate projected load at that time. In a recent column (Power Play, July 6) in the SanTan Sun News, the author opined that SRP would use this planned new infrastructure to connect with a proposed southern Arizona transmission line in an effort to sell power to California. The writer fails to understand that the PRC transmission project is designed to serve the local area around the developing Price Road Corridor and improve reliability in the Southeast Valley. As is usual for SRP, we are actively soliciting input from the public to help determine where the new facilities will be located. SRP will ultimately reduce route alternatives and substation site locations for the project based on siting criteria and construction feasibility. Public input is also an important component of this process. In the past several months, we have received thousands of comments from residents on the project. In fact, public interest has been so significant that SRP added three additional open houses in June for people to review updated maps and provide comments on route alternatives for the new transmission facilities. We also met with hundreds of people at meetings scheduled by the various Sun Lakes and Ocotillo homeowner associations. Phase 3 of the public process, where final route alternatives will be introduced, is scheduled for later this year. After SRP selects multiple route options for the new transmission lines, the public process will continue with a hearing before the Arizona Power Plant and Transmission Line Siting committee. A final decision on whether to grant a Certificate of Environmental Compatibility for the project will be decided at an open meeting of the Arizona Corporation Commission. Unique to this project is the possibility of route alternatives on the Gila River Indian Community through
the National Environmental Policy Act, or NEPA. SRP officials have been working with the Community and the Bureau of Indian Affairs for many months now to identify potential route alternatives that would benefit both parties. We are committed to a successful conclusion in this process; however, because the Community is a sovereign nation, we cannot guarantee the outcome and thus must also pursue route alternatives on private lands. Power lines and other electrical facilities are located throughout the Valley, and most of us live near some form of equipment—whether it’s an overhead power line, a substation or a ground-mounted transformer. This infrastructure is critical to our electrical needs as a society and the transmission lines and substations that are being planned will not only help support the Price Road Corridor area but the region as well—much the same as overhead power lines that run through other communities help support the Chandler area. While it is difficult to identify locations for overhead power lines that will please everyone, SRP is committed to conducting a thorough and comprehensive siting process that carefully considers all of the various criteria. It is also important to note that as a public power utility, SRP has a statutory obligation to provide a reliable supply of energy and we must do so at a reasonable cost so that we can keep prices low for all of our customers. As a member of the community, SRP is committed to finding solutions that best serve our customers. The Price Road Corridor Transmission Line Project will provide the electrical infrastructure necessary to continue to provide a reliable supply of electricity for our existing customers and the new homeowners and businesses that will certainly be here in the near future. Tom Novy is SRP’s project manager for the Price Road Corridor Transmission Line Project
Oops – In the story “Verde Salon stylists earn master certification” of the July 6 issue, some Verde Salon stylists were incorrectly identified or inadvertently omitted. We apologize for the mistake. Stylists who earned their Master Certification include: Stephanie Schmidt, Nonnie Knight, Brittany Piracci, Austin McKinnon, Hannah Brooks, Maren McKenna, Marianne Altierri and Lacey Grace. Stylist Chanel Edens earned a Color Certification.
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SRP plans for growth in Chandler not a new idea
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Opinion
July 20 – August 2, 2013
Host an Exchange Student Today!
www.SanTanSun.com
SUMMER IS HERE!
(for 3, 5 or 10 months) Make a lifelong friend from abroad.
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We are pleased to announce and welcome Dr. Lora Schelle to our team! Accepting appointments: Tuesdays, Thursdays, and some Saturdays. Providing our clinic with new veterinary services of avian and exotic pet care.
Call now to make an appointment for a free dental assessment.