Two different scenarios were taking place on the same day last week Thursday November 4th.
One here inside the Lower Chambers of a Mesa City Council Study Session with two staff presentations and two reports on two agenda items where attachments to the Meeting Details are inserted below. That session was the third attempt by city officials to come up with anything that might be believable in one more slick slide show to present questionable tables of numbers and data without any independent or objective analysis by outside financial analysts.
That's been the usual pattern-and-practice for more than 15 years by City Manager Chris Brady who doesn't like to be challenged.
Did the public fall for it all over again?
Keep in mind that the contentious issue of raising utilities fees and charges is couched in using the word adjustments - whether they are justified or not.
This time around for public review and oversight, the two items were paired together to propose a way to pay into city coffers (that use the projected revenues for general spending) using funds taken from the American Rescue Plan Act that have strings and restrictions attached to how they get used and spent.
Readers of this blog can observe the City Attorney having to step into the hearings and discussions on a number of times as certain councilmembers chime in with their own special interests and concerns, whether their own districts are low-income and needy or not.
At the same Study Session there was a third item on the Final Agenda - an update from recent meetings of the City Council Redistricting Commission, where the chair sat side-by-side with the city's special project manager Jeff Robbins.
Readers of this blog might like to note that Mesa's use of "affordable utilities" revenues for general spending faced close scrutiny in February 2020"Today for every $100 you spend on these Mesa utilities $32 is skimmed off the top to balance the budget and pay for unrelated expenses like a subsidized private airport, golf course, professional sports complexes, and ASU campuses.
This has led to uncontrollable water costs and utility rates in Mesa."
-- (District 2 Mesa City Council Jeremy Whittaker)
Two Agenda Items and Meeting Details
Item 1-b
| File #: | 21-1156 |
| Type: | Presentation | Status: | Agenda Ready |
| In control: | City Council Study Session |
| On agenda: | 11/4/2021 |
| Title: | Hear a presentation, discuss, and provide direction on a proposed American Recovery Plan Electric Customer Credit. |
| Attachments: | 1. Presentation |
Item 1-c
| File #: | 21-1160 |
| Type: | Presentation | Status: | Agenda Ready |
| In control: | City Council Study Session |
| On agenda: | 11/4/2021 |
| Title: | Hear a presentation, discuss, and provide direction on proposed utility rate adjustments. |
| Attachments: | 1. Presentation, 3. Attachment 1 - Utility Rate Recommendations for FY2122, 4. Attachment 2 - City of Mesa Utility Fund Cash Flow Projections |
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Here's a related story
AZ Corporation Commission voted to reduce APS rates. What this means for Arizonans in the long term
The uncomfortable relationship between the state’s largest utility — Arizona Public Service — and its regulators on the Arizona Corporation Commission was turned up a notch Nov. 3 when commissioners voted 3-2 to cut APS’s revenue by more than $100 million.
The decision will also lead to the Navajo Nation receiving tens of millions less from APS than hoped for. Last but not least, APS is planning to take legal action against the panel’s decision.
To discuss all of those points, The Show spoke with Ryan Randazzo of the Arizona Republic.
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