MesaZona > Table of Contents : Here's The Menu. Enjoy: September 2017

30 September 2017

Here in Mesa Tonight: The Freedom Summit

What could be a better fit than conservative leaders being here in our fair city Mesa, Arizona - the most conservative city in America?
960 The Patriot is billing it as "their biggest VIP Party ever"

Link > http://960thepatriot.com/

29 September 2017

Way Out There Building A Future: Elon Musk

The fascinating life of Elon Musk, captured in one giant infographic

By Shawn Langlois

Published: Sept 29, 2017 12:43 p.m. ET http://www.marketwatch.com

From getting bullied and thrown down the stairs in grammar school to becoming “Earth’s most future-oriented person” and earning billions of dollars in the process, it’s hard to wrap one’s brain around just how much Elon Musk has managed to stuff into his 44 years of life. But that’s where this massive infographic, created by information designer Anna Vital, comes in.
Read the full article.

“In a hundred years, when most people reading this and the person writing this are long gone, Musk’s cars and rockets will still be circling the Earth and the skies,” writes Anna Vital from the Funders and Founders blog. “How can such a person get started against all odds is the question I ask here. And, more importantly, what can we learn from him?”

Elon Musk is now Earth’s most future-oriented person.
How did such a person come to be?

Learning from Musk might seem naive. After all he is an outlier even among billionaires. I think this is exactly why he is worth studying – you don’t get insight into the extraordinary by studying the ordinary.

Read more > https://blog.adioma.com/how-elon-musk-started-infographic/

Venue Projects + Community Development Partners Recognized for Historic Adaptive Re-Use

Announcement from City of Mesa Newsroom http://mesanow.org/news/public/article/1965

Mesa honored for environmental excellence

September 28, 2017 at 2:57 pm

Several City of Mesa projects were recently honored at the Arizona Forward's 37th Annual Environmental Excellence Awards held on Sept. 23rd. Two projects received an Award of Merit and a third project was presented with a prestigious Crescordia Award.
Small and incremental growth sets a high standard here in the New Urban Downtown Mesa to transform a neighborhood

Crescordia Award Winner - The Recyclery
The Recyclery exhibition, a partnership between the i.d.e.a. Museum and the City of Mesa's Environmental Management and Sustainability Department, was developed to create a fun, innovative program to help children and adults learn what is and what is not accepted in the city's blue recycle barrels. In February 2017, the partners introduced a new, high-tech educational game, Recycle Fun, and freshened up the Recyclery with an updated look to enliven the exhibition and increase awareness of sustainability issues for museum guests.

Award of Merit Recipient - Drab to Fab Backyard Rehab Campaign
The Water - Use It Wisely's Drab to Fab Backyard Rehab Campaign was an unprecedented media promotion and contest that rewrote the tired narrative that 'one must sacrifice' to be sustainable. Up to 70% of household water use is outdoors, and by focusing on a landscape makeover, the campaign was able to bring awareness to the beauty of a water-conscious Xeriscape design. From spring 2016 through summer 2017, the contests yielded 22,477 entries, community engagement, teachable moments, a 10-part video series and two excited winners. The Water - Use It Wisely campaign started in Mesa and now includes a total or 19 partners statewide.

Award of Merit Recipient - Alhambra Hotel
An ambitious adaptive reuse of one of Mesa's most historic buildings, the Alhambra Hotel, took place in early 2016 between Venue Projects, Community Development Partners, Benedictine University and the City of Mesa.
By February 2017, a $3.3 million renovation transformed the site from a deteriorating historic building into cutting-edge student housing for Benedictine University students. The project team restored the Alhambra with a conscious effort to preserve and enhance the historic character of the structure and to ensure it maintained its place on the National Register of Historic Places.
Green elements include LED lighting, water-saving fixtures, xeriscape landscaping, and energy efficient windows and HVAC.

Arizona Forward, in partnership with SRP, presented the Environmental Excellence Awards, Arizona's oldest and most prominent competition of its kind. It spotlights distinguished projects throughout the state of Arizona that demonstrate a high level of environmental commitment and contribute to the state's overall sustainability.

For more information about Arizona Forward, visit www.arizonaforward.org.

Environmental Management & Sustainability Department
Contact: Mariano Reyes
Tel. (480) 644-5005mariano.reyes@mesaaz.gov

Mexico Planning To Build Its Own Hyperloop

Published on Sep 28, 2017
Views: 63,333
Mexico is planning to build its own Hyperloop. The transportation system will be called Mexloop. Mexican studio FR-EE won a contest to design the Hyperloop system. They will work with Hyperloop One on the project.

Lynn Tilton Beats 6-Year SEC Investigation Patriarch Partners Founder & CEO

The subject of this writing today has been featured in a number of posts on this blog - Why?
That's a question perhaps anyone might ask . . . . This is a relatively fast decision from the Security & Exchange Commission just days after a new chairman and two new members were appointed.
Related to this post is an earlier upload from Bloomberg news with a segment 2x as long that had received 66 hits at the time of this draft - while the following upload from FBN had received almost 3x on Fox Business News

Francisco Heredia Appointed to Mesa City Council District 3

Announcement from the City of Mesa Newsroom

Francisco Heredia appointed as District 3 Councilmember

September 28, 2017 at 11:23 am

The Mesa City Council, during a special Council meeting this morning, has appointed Francisco Heredia to serve as District 3 Councilmember. Heredia was one of five finalists selected from a pool of 31 eligible applicants by the City Council at the Sept. 21 City Council Study Session.
Source: http://mesanow.org/news/public/article/1964
Heredia most recently worked as the Community Relations Manager for Maricopa County Recorder.
He has also worked as the National Field Director for Mi Familia Vota and One Arizona, as well as for the United States Census Bureau, Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System and Chicanos Por La Causa.
While living in Chandler, he was appointed to the Housing and Human Services Commission.
Heredia holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a Certificate in American Public Policy and a Masters in Public Administration from Arizona State University.
Mesa City Clerk DeeAnn Mickelsen officially swore Mr. Heredia into office this morning.
A formal swearing-in ceremony will take place at the Oct. 2 City Council meeting.
Heredia will serve as the District 3 Councilmember until the election on Aug. 28, 2018. A runoff election, if required, will be held on Nov. 6, 2018.

Office of Public Information & Communications
Contact: Steven M. Wright, Director
Tel. 480-644-2069steven.wright@mesaaz.gov
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Special City Council Meeting Video upload from YouTube
Published on Sep 28, 2017
Views: 14
Duration: about half-an-hour
Candidate Frank Mizner makes some remarks that aren't in keeping with the positive introductions by other candidates.
Mayor John Giles still appears to be confused in public for a few weeks now, with swelling around his right away.
D6 Kevin Thompson absent, but on the phone
Heredia talks about "pipeline assets" for education

Council Study Session Thu 28 Sept 2017

No comments except to say that Mayor John Giles still appears to be confused in public, with no public explanation, but please note that City Manager Chris Brady reminds him about one thing that's been repeated
Published on Sep 28, 2017
Views: 10

Watch Elon Musk > SpaceX's Most Detailed Plans to Colonize Mars

Beam me up !

Published on Sep 29, 2017

Views: about 10,000

Elon Musk wants to build a metropolis on Mars starting in 2024.

NEW DATA BASES Information Please > GPLET

Government Property Lease Excise Tax (GPLET)

Source: https://www.azdor.gov/GPLET.aspx
GPLET is a controversial development tax incentive established by Arizona in 1996. In 2015, the Auditor General reported that ‘although the Legislature enacted laws to increase GPLET revenues for counties, cities and towns, community college districts and other school districts, these changes may not increase revenues as expected… and improvements were needed to ensure GPLET is accurately calculated, collected, distributed and reported’ [Blogger emphasis]
There were very recent changes - please read more . . .
Related content on this blog site > https://mesazona.blogspot.com/2016/09/gplet-property-tax-incentive-known-as.html#!/2016/09/gplet-property-tax-incentive-known-as.html

The Arizona Legislature enacted several changes to the statutes relating to the Government Property Lease Excise Tax (GPLET) in House Bill 2213 during the First Regular Session (2017). The changes were effective August 9, 2017.

> One of the changes impacts the database of GPLET properties which has been posted on the Department of Revenue’s website since 2010.

This database will be replaced by databases published by counties, cities and towns or by government lessors posting lease agreements on a county, city or town website where the government property improvement is located.

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>> VIEW PROCESS FOR THE GPLET LEASE COMPLIANCE CHECK

Government lessors will provide links to their public databases to the Department of Revenue. The Department will post links to the government lessors’ databases on its website.

>> VIEW NEW DATABASES HERE
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NOTE The original Department of Revenue GPLET database will continue to be available for reference until December 31, 2017.

This page is a publication of information regarding property owned by government jurisdictions, but leased for commercial, residential rental or industrial purposes.

The information displayed includes a PDF of the actual lease, abstract of lease and/or memorandum of lease, along with some identifying information.

Once a list of leases is chosen, the information may be copied and pasted into a spreadsheet such as Microsoft Excel for use offline.

OLD DATABASE: 2 Property Leases here in Mesa

County	City	Property	Address	Lessor Type	Lessor Name	Prime Lessee	Lease	Abstract	Memo
MARICOPA	MESA	Crescent Crown Distributing, LLC	1640 W. Broadway Road, Mesa, Arizona, 85202	City	City of Mesa	Crescent Crown Distributing, LLC
MARICOPA	MESA	Town Center	One North Macdonald Street, Mesa, Arizona, 85211	City	City of Mesa	Outsource International, LLC

NEW DATABASE:
Change in number of properties

27 City-owned and city-leased, non-profits and aerospace/defense

27 Marked Confidential located at 6030 S Kent Drive

4 Marked "Name withheld to protect privacy of tenant" @ 424 W Pepper Place

Lease agreements are subject to submitting a Public Records Request Form

Redirected to this site > http://mesaaz.gov/city-hall/government-property-lease-excise-tax

Government Property Lease Excise Tax

City of Mesa Leases Reported to Arizona Department of Revenue under A.R.S. § 42-6202 (D), (E). This database may include parcels not subject to the tax, specifically exempt parcels.
The lease agreement for each lease listed below is available by submitting a GPLET Public Records Request Form .
Any confidential information will be redacted from the record.

County	City	Leased Address	Lessee Name
Maricopa	Mesa	1630 W. Broadway	Crescent Crown Distributing
Maricopa	Mesa	1240 E. Main	Stacy and Witbeck/Sundt
Maricopa	Mesa	1240 E. Main	Valley Metro Rail, Inc.
Maricopa	Mesa	51 E. Main	Benedictine University
Maricopa	Mesa	225 E. Main	Benedictine University
Maricopa	Mesa	120 N. Center	Mesa Convention and Visitors Bureau
Maricopa	Mesa	100 N. Center	Downtown Mesa Association
Maricopa	Mesa	200 S. Center	Valley Metrorail, Inc.
Maricopa	Mesa	245 W. 2nd Street	Wilkes University
Maricopa	Mesa	Address Confidential	A New Leaf, Inc.
Maricopa	Mesa	217 W. University	A New Leaf, Inc.
Maricopa	Mesa	Address Confidential	A New Leaf, Inc.
Maricopa	Mesa	Address Confidential	A New Leaf, Inc.
Maricopa	Mesa	453 N. Pima	Mesa Martin Luther King Jr. Celebration, Inc.
Maricopa	Mesa	170 W. University	Child Crisis Center, Inc.
Maricopa	Mesa	247 N. Macdonald	East Valley Adult Resources
Maricopa	Mesa	247 N. Macdonald	Oakwood Creative Care
Maricopa	Mesa	45 W. University	East Valley Adult Resources
Maricopa	Mesa	Address Confidential	Save the Family Foundation
Maricopa	Mesa	4616 E. Fighter Aces Drive	Empire Southwest LLC
Maricopa	Mesa	4702 E. Fighter Aces Drive, #104	Wings of Flight Foundation
Maricopa	Mesa	4702 E. Fighter Aces Drive	Precision Heli-Support
Maricopa	Mesa	4730 E. Falcon Drive	Civil Air Patrol
Maricopa	Mesa	4930 E. Falcon Drive	Heliponents
Maricopa	Mesa	4800 E. Falcon Drive	Boeing Company
Maricopa	Mesa	4800 E. Falcon Drive	John Lewis
Maricopa	Mesa	4800 E. Falcon Drive	Steve Adams

County	City	Leased Address	Lessee Name
Maricopa	Mesa	6030 S. Kent St.	Confidential
Maricopa	Mesa	6030 S. Kent St.	Confidential
Maricopa	Mesa	6030 S. Kent St.	Confidential
Maricopa	Mesa	6030 S. Kent St.	Confidential
Maricopa	Mesa	6030 S. Kent St.	Confidential
Maricopa	Mesa	6030 S. Kent St.	Confidential
Maricopa	Mesa	6030 S. Kent St.	Confidential
Maricopa	Mesa	6030 S. Kent St.	Confidential
Maricopa	Mesa	6030 S. Kent St.	Confidential
Maricopa	Mesa	6030 S. Kent St.	Confidential
Maricopa	Mesa	6030 S. Kent St.	Confidential
Maricopa	Mesa	6030 S. Kent St.	Confidential
Maricopa	Mesa	6030 S. Kent St.	Confidential
Maricopa	Mesa	6030 S. Kent St.	Confidential
Maricopa	Mesa	6030 S. Kent St.	Confidential
Maricopa	Mesa	6030 S. Kent St.	Confidential
Maricopa	Mesa	6030 S. Kent St.	Confidential
Maricopa	Mesa	6030 S. Kent St.	Confidential
Maricopa	Mesa	6030 S. Kent St.	Confidential
Maricopa	Mesa	6030 S. Kent St.	Confidential
Maricopa	Mesa	6030 S. Kent St.	Confidential
Maricopa	Mesa	6030 S. Kent St.	Confidential
Maricopa	Mesa	6030 S. Kent St.	Confidential
Maricopa	Mesa	6030 S. Kent St.	Confidential
Maricopa	Mesa	6030 S. Kent St.	Confidential
Maricopa	Mesa	6030 S. Kent St.	Confidential

County	City	Leased Address	Lessee Name
Maricopa	Mesa	424 W. Pepper Place, Apt. C	Name withheld to protect privacy of tenant
Maricopa	Mesa	424 W. Pepper Place, Apt. D	Name withheld to protect privacy of tenant
Maricopa	Mesa	432 W. Pepper Place, Apt. E	Name withheld to protect privacy of tenant
Maricopa	Mesa	432 W. Pepper Place, Apt. G	Name withheld to protect privacy of tenant

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GPLET Reform Bill Overwhelmingly Passes House With Amendments

By Karen Schulte February 24, 2017

PHOENIX, Arizona – In 1996, the Government Property Lease Excise Tax (“GPLET”) was first established by the State of Arizona as a redevelopment tool to initiate development by reducing a project’s operating costs. In 2010, under the state statute, the Legislature amended GPLET laws and an excise tax rate was established for the building type of use calculated on the gross square footage of the building to replace real property taxes. The use of the excise tax cannot continue for more than twenty-five years and requires that the land and improvements be conveyed to a government entity and leased back for private use. The excise tax rate can be abated for the first eight years after a certificate of occupancy on the building is issued only for properties located within a Central Business District and a Redevelopment Area.
In 2015, the Auditor General reported that ‘although the Legislature enacted laws to increase GPLET revenues for counties, cities and towns, community college districts and other school districts, these changes may not increase revenues as expected… and improvements were needed to ensure GPLET is accurately calculated, collected, distributed and reported’.

See full Auditor General Report here.

GPLET abatements were created to revitalize “slum and blight” areas in business districts. Deals which can exist for several decades and shift property taxes to their neighbors and pit competitive businesses against each other.
GPLET is levied in lieu of property taxes when governments lease publicly-owned property to private businesses. When local governments offer property tax incentives like GPLET to developers, it deprives school districts of tax revenue. State taxpayers are forced to make up the difference through elevated payments to those school districts.
The House of Representatives this week overwhelmingly voted 50-9 to pass HB 2213, a bill sponsored by Representative Vince Leach (R-11) that closes several loopholes related to the GPLET.
After a stakeholder process resulted in significant changes from the underlying bill, several changes were applied based on recommendations from municipalities and developers and Arizona Tax Research Association (“ATRA”).

courtesy of Arizona Tax Research Association (ATRA)

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CROCKETT LAW GROUP http://jeffcrockettlaw.com/incentives.php
Areas of Practice
Economic Development Incentives

Useful Links:

eDocket: http://edocket.azcc.gov/

Arizona Corporation Commission: http://www.azcc.gov/

Arizona Administrative Code-Title 14 (Public Service Corporations): http://www.azsos.gov/rules/arizona-administrative-code#ID14

Arizona Revised Statutes-Title 40 (Corporation Commission): http://www.azleg.gov/ArizonaRevisedStatutes.asp?Title=40

Greater Phoenix Economic Council: http://www.gpec.org/home

Jeff Crockett has been involved with economic development for many years. He serves as a member of the Board of Directors of the Greater Phoenix Economic Council, one of the region's premier economic development organizations. He is a past two-term chair and current ex officio member of the City of Mesa's Economic Development Advisory Board (EDAB), an organization which provides guidance and assistance to Mesaâ€™s Mayor and City Council on business attraction, retention and expansion, workforce development and economic development and urban revitalization. EDAB supports Mesa's innovative HEAT initiative which emphasizes economic development in the areas of Healthcare, Education, Aerospace, Technology and Tourism.

Mr. Crockett can advise clients regarding the various economic incentives offered in Arizona, including:

Angel Investment Tax Credit (A.R.S. §41-1518)
Arizona Competitiveness Package (A.R.S. §42-15001)
Arizona Innovation Accelerator Fund (AIAF)
Arizona Job Training Grant (A.R.S. §41-1541 et seq.)
Commercial/Industrial Solar Energy Tax Credit Program (A.R.S.§§41-1510.01, 43-1085 and 43-1164)
Computer Data Center Program (A.R.S. §41-1519;
Foreign Trade Zone (FTZ)
Government Property Lease Excise Tax (GPLET)
Healthy Forest Enterprise Incentive (A.R.S. §41-1504(C)(1))
Military Reuse Zone (MRZ)
Qualified Energy Conservation Bonds (QECB)
Qualified Facility (QF) Tax Credit (A.R.S. §41-1512)
Quality Jobs Tax Credit (A.R.S. §41-1525)
Renewable Energy Tax Credit (A.R.S. §41-1511)
Research & Development Incentive (A.R.S. §§ 43-1168 and 43-1074.01)
Sales Tax Exemptions for Manufacturing (A.R.S. §§42-5063(C)(6) and 42-5159)
Small Business Innovation Research (SBIR) Grant
Small Business Technology Transfer (STTR) Grant
Transaction Privilege Tax (TPT) Exemption (A.R.S. §§42-5061, 42-5159 or 42-6004)
Work Opportunity Tax Credit (WOTC)

Crockett Law Group

Jeff's practice is concentrated in the areas of public utilities regulation, water rights and planning, development and construction of utility infrastructure for master planned developments, with special emphasis on telecommunications law and renewable energy.

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This report appeared on September 12, 2017
Mesa Creates Redevelopment Zones to Reverse Blight
Source: http://www.orionprop.com/topfive

In its latest efforts to redevelop land surrounding the city’s downtown core, the Mesa City Council took a significant step toward creating the East and West Redevelopment Areas that would give the city tools to attract investment to blighted areas.

The redevelopment areas will allow the city to take advantage of tax breaks and other incentives aimed at attracting investment and infill development of vacant properties to the designated areas.

At the Aug. 21 city council meeting, the council formally adopted resolutions recognizing the necessity of the redevelopment areas and approving an expansion of the Central Business District to include those areas.

Eric Mungenast/Tribune

The West Redevelopment Area roughly includes select land parcels surrounding Main Street west of Country Club Drive. The East Redevelopment Area includes land parcels surrounding Main Street to the east of downtown and west of Gilbert Road.

The boundaries have to be contiguous to other redevelopment areas, and the light rail corridor was used as a guide in creating the oddly shaped districts, Mesa economic development director Bill Jabjiniak said at a city council study session.

In order to qualify as an RDA, these zones must exhibit a predominance of blighted conditions, as defined by Arizona laws governing redevelopment areas.

This includes visual and non-visual blight, such as building deterioration, excessive trash, fire hazards, graffiti, restricted access, inadequately sized parcels and crime, according to project overviews prepared by the city and presented to the public. . .

According to the city’s presentation, the plan is focused on improving the quality of life for residents by encouraging reinvestment in the areas surrounding downtown and prompting infill redevelopment of vacant properties.

The redevelopment areas could result in increased property values for property owners, according to the presentation.

The adoption of redevelopment areas will give the city access to various tools to incentivize commercial redevelopment, including the Government Property Lease Excise Tax Program, also known as GPLET.

GPLET is a controversial development tax incentive established by Arizona in 1996. It allows developers to hand over ownership of a property to the city in order to temporarily replace a project’s property tax burden with a lower excise tax. GPLET also allows the city to provide an eight-year abatement of that excise tax.

In order to qualify for a GPLET, a project must be within a city’s Central Business District and a redevelopment area.

Mesa has added all four of its existing and potential RDAs to its Central Business District in order to maximize the benefits of the GPLET by making all areas eligible for the benefits of the program rather than signaling out one zone, Jabjiniak said.

As city develops the specifics of the redevelopment plans it will rely on feedback from business owners, residents and developers in order to determine the other federal, state and local development incentives to include in the plan.