In Mesa - City Endless? - More Cars + More $$$ For Parking Spaces ... What's Wrong With That?

. . . some thoughts from an architect buddy in Toronto  [images added  by MesaZona blogger]

Towards car-free living May 31, 2016 08:51 am Right now, there’s an apartment building in San Francisco that is trying to encourage car-free living by offering residents a $100 per month credit that can be used for Uber and/or for public transit. Prospective residents can even get a $20 credit to go check out the community. (The program is a partnership with Uber.) The reason this leasing strategy caught my attention is because we’re at a point where city builders are now trying to recalibrate themselves to this new emerging world. When I was at the Land & Development conference earlier this month, one developer brought up this exact point. He more or less asked: If you’re starting development on a new building today and you’re expecting approvals in 2 or so years and completion in another 3 or 4 years, what do you think the state of cars/driving will be at that point? Should you really be building all that underground parking? These are great question. And they highlight one of the challenges of development. It takes a long time to bring new supply to the market and a lot can change during that time period. My sense is that we are pretty clearly seeing downward pressure on driving and car ownership. That said, this isn’t the case in every city or in all parts of a particular city. I just got back from a trip to a Detroit where it’s pretty hard to imagine the city being oriented around anything but the car. But in cities like San Francisco and Toronto, car-free living is already a reality for many people and so we need to respond to that. How do you see yourself driving, or not driving, in the next 5 to 10 years? read more

Play Ball! NOW IS THE TIME > Copa America 2016 [Glendale]

About The Event:

Copa America Centenario will take place for the first time in history outside of South America.

The world's best coming to the United States, and will be in Glendale, AZ on June 5, 2016 at 5:00pm.

Official Website [Spanish and English]
For more information on Copa America Centenario please visit: www.ca2016.com


Ticket Information:Tickets are now being sold at the stadium box office, purchased online at Ticketmaster.com or by calling (800) 745-3000.

Premium Seating Private lofts, party lofts and main concourse field box tickets are $200 each. For more information call 623-433-7157 or email kmulloy@universityofphoenixstadium.com

Click here for seating map.

Ticket Prices:
Front Row Midfield            $500
Front Row Sideline           $375
Front Row Corner             $300
Front Row Endline            $225
Rows 2-11 Midfield           $200
Rows 2-11 Sideline          $155
Rows 2-11 Corner            $125
Rows 2-11 Endline           $95
Rows 12+ Midfield            $165
Rows 12+ Sideline           $125
Rows 12+ Corner              $95
Rows 12+ Endline             $75
Club Midfield                      $200
Club Sideline                     $200
Club Prime Corner            $155
Club Corner                        $125
Upper Midfield                    $95
Upper Sideline                   $75
Upper Corner                     $60
Upper Endline                    $50

**A $6.75 stadium Facility Use Fee (FUF) has been added to the price of each ticket. In addition, applicable convenience fees will be added to tickets purchased through Ticketmaster. **

**Please be advised ticket prices are subject to change without notice. Ticket prices for this event can fluctuate based on factors that affect supply and demand. Lock in your price and location today! ** 
In Spanish
http://www.americatv.com.pe/deportes/movil/futbol-mundial/copa-america-2016-que-16-paises-participaran-torneo-centenario-n207620

COPA AMERICA on Twitter >> https://twitter.com/CA2016?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor

Additional Information + Resources >> http://www.ussoccer.com/mens-national-team/tournaments/2016-copa-america-centenario#tab-1

Heads Up! Follow The Money, Taxpayers > Gonna Come Outta Your Pockets

Watch out: it's the end of the Fiscal Year. The City Manager and the Mesa City Council are planning to SPEND BIG with your dollars. The sad thing is you probably don't even know it
Your MesaZona blogger is just one guy out of about 465,000 people who live in our fair city who wants to encourage every one to get more involved in local government. It's up to YOU!
It's difficult and time-consuming to get informed, or for that matter to even care about what's going on inside City Hall . . . and they don't make it easy.

Take for example next week's agenda for the City Council meeting on June 6, 2016 - the biggest item - approving the next fiscal year budget with the STAGGERING SUM OF $1.6 BILLION DOLLARS = the last item!
Wake up Mesa!

City Council Meeting Agenda for June 6, 2016
http://mesa.legistar.com/Calendar.aspx

Keeping You Informed: Study Session Agenda Item # 2a 16-0628 > Proposed Mesa Sports Complex

Hey! There seems to be a very BIG rush with the end of the fiscal year approaching to ram things through the Mesa City Council that will cost taxpayers million$ of dollars . . . and now here's another one!
PAY ATTENTION:
TOTAL PROJECT COSTS $58,000,000
TOTAL ANNUAL OPERATING BUDGET $2,625,000
Proposed Mesa Sports Complex
June 2, 2016
[10-page Presentation >> Takes a few steps but take a look here
http://mesa.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=2739138&GUID=E11994EB-6BE0-4800-B976-191EE2DCAEC7   ]

Mesa Sports Complex Components
• Located at Brown Road and 80th Street
• 110,000 sf. Fieldhouse
• 10 Lighted Synthetic Turf Fields
• 1 stadium field with flexible seating
• 14 Lighted Natural Grass Fields
• 1 Stadium field with flexible seating
• On-site parking for 2,600+ vehicles
• On-site Concession Operations
• Restrooms/Locker rooms, meeting and office space

Mesa Sports Complex Fields
 Field space provides opportunities for multiple sports:
• Soccer, football, lacrosse, rugby, kickball, and more
• Synthetic turf fields provides practice space for local youth sports organizations
• Stadiums would accommodate high school championships, NCAA competitions, graduations, and more

Mesa Sports Complex Fieldhouse
Fieldhouse becomes the largest indoor event space in Mesa:
• 12 basketball courts, 24 volleyball courts, 12 wrestling mats
• Dance competitions, Cheerleading, Martial Arts, Boxing and more
• Banquet and exhibit space

Mesa Sports Complex Construction Budget
Field Construction Preliminary Budget
10 Synthetic Turf and 14 Natural Grass Playing Fields $36,000,000
Fieldhouse Construction Preliminary Budget
110,000 square foot fieldhouse $22,000,000
TOTAL PROJECT COSTS $58,000,000

Capital Construction Financing
Capital construction costs would need to be financed through a secondary property tax.
• Estimated annual cost of $18 per median household

Mesa Sports Complex Operating Budget [Bigger's note: these are recurring annual costs]
Personnel $650,000
Utilities $830,000
Contractual Services $300,000
Marketing/Promotions $225,000
Commodities $270,000
Capital Reserve Fund $350,000
TOTAL OPERATING BUDGET $2,625,000

Mesa Sports Complex Operations Revenue
• Operations will be funded by all revenues generated by the Mesa Sports Complex. ??
• Operating Budget Revenue Sources:
• All revenues derived onsite ??
• Induced Sales Tax ??
• Additional bed tax revenue net of City obligations ??
• Dedicated 1% bed tax ??
• Visit Mesa and Tourism Industry is recommending a 1% increase in bed tax to support the operations of the complex ??

Next Steps
If City Council desires to move forward, then the following items would need to be considered:
• Schedule upcoming Study Sessions for further discussions
 • Finalize MOU with Visit Mesa detailing operations contributions.
• Consider the following resolutions at the June 20th City Council meeting:
• A resolution asking voters for 613 Charter approval to build a sports complex costing more than $1.5 million [must be a typo, huh?]
• A resolution asking voters for authorization to increase the bed tax by 1%; and
• A resolution asking voters for authorization to issue a secondary property tax for $58 million of capital construction cost. ??

QUESTIONS?

Link to letter from Visit Mesa to the City Council http://mesa.legistar.com/LegislationDetail.aspx?ID=2739138&GUID=E11994EB-6BE0-4800-B976-191EE2DCAEC7

READ THIS: Public 411 You Can Use > Keeping You Informed > Where's Citizen Input?

The Mesa City Council believes that its people, not leaders, are what makes a City great and actively works ??to encourage citizen participation in the decision-making process. . . the Mesa City Council sets policies based on the input and needs of its citizens.
OK, sounds good, right, but very few people actually show up or "provide input" at City Council meetings . . . only three comments are allowed in a time-limit of three minutes [you must fill out a blue comment card to do that]

 Please note, dear readers, this agenda was made available to citizens yesterday @ 7:30 a.m. July 31, 2016 - how many people have taken the time to read it?
Was there "a preliminary agenda" published? [no]
Agendas work well when there are comments from the public to provide input especially when action will be considered then taken by councilmembers on agenda items.
The final agenda for tomorrow's study session - to be immediately followed by "a regular session" is published below.
Readers will note that the bold and underlined agenda items require a few more steps to access and are only presented as .pdf documents.  

Please note again: As part of each meeting agenda, action may be taken on:

• zoning matters
• awarding of contracts [sometimes adding up to million$ of dollar$ that are put on something called the 'consent agenda' that usually gets approved within minutes, unless it's asked to be removed and considered separately] to purchase equipment, supplies or for construction improvements within the City,
• liquor license applications, ordinances, and resolutions.
  

During meetings, citizens may address the council on items pertaining to the agenda.
QUESTION: Do average citizens - those with no "special interest" for personal or financial gain - have the motivation or time to find out of what's up on the agendas for Mesa City Council meetings??
Another question: Have some past and current City councilmembers [and those who might want to grab a seat inside City Hall] operated more to benefit "special interests" than the public?
Minutes of past City Council meetings are posted at this site after they are approved by the City Council.
The preliminary agenda of the next council meeting is posted at this site approximately four days [??]  before a council meeting and the final agenda, which incorporates any last minute changes to the preliminary agenda, usually is posted at this site the morning of the council meeting.
All City Council meetings are broadcast live on cable television on Mesa Channel 11 and will be rebroadcast the following two days at 9 a.m. and 7 p.m.

For copies of Council Minutes that are not listed, call the City Clerk's Office (480) 644-2381.


City Council Study Session
City of Mesa
7:30 am
Mesa Council Chambers 57 East First - Lower Level
Thu June 2, 2016

Meeting Agenda - Final
Mayor John Giles
Vice Mayor Dennis Kavanaugh - District 3
Councilmember Dave Richins - District 1
Councilmember Alex Finter - District 2
Councilmember Chris Glover - District 4
Councilmember David Luna - District 5
Councilmember Kevin Thompson - District 6

Roll Call
(Members of the Mesa City Council will attend either in person or by telephone conference call)
1.  Review items on the agenda for the June 6, 2016 regular Council meeting.

2 . Presentations/Action Items:

2-a 16-0628 Hear a presentation, discuss, and provide direction on the proposed Mesa multi-sport athletic, field house, and events complex relating to:

• 1.  Capital and operations and maintenance funding and required Charter authorization; and
• 2.  A Memorandum of Understanding with Visit Mesa for the operations and maintenance funding.

3 16-0631 Information pertaining to the current Job Order Contracting projects.

 

4 Approve minutes from an Executive Session held on May 19, 2016.

 

5 Acknowledge receipt of minutes of various boards and committees.

• 5-a 16-0590 Parks and Recreation Advisory Board meeting held on March 9, 2016.

6 Hear reports on meetings and/or conferences attended

7 Scheduling of meetings and general information.

Page 1 City of Mesa Printed on 5/31/2016

June 2, 2016City Council Study Session Meeting Agenda - Final

 

8 Adjournment.

Any citizen wishing to speak on an agenda item should complete and turn in a blue card to the City Clerk before that item is presented.
The Council may vote to hold an executive session for the purposes of obtaining legal advice from the City Attorney (A.R.S. §38-431.03A(3)) or to discuss and instruct the City Attorney regarding the City’s position regarding contracts that are the subject of negotiations, in pending or contemplated litigation or in settlement discussions conducted in order to avoid or resolve litigation. (A.R.S. §38-431.03A(4))
The City of Mesa is committed to making its public meetings accessible to persons with disabilities.  For special accommodations, please contact the City Manager's Office at (480) 644-3333 or AzRelay 7-1-1 at least 48 hours in advance of the meeting.  Si necesita asistencia o traducción en español, favor de llamar al menos 48 horas antes de la reunion al 480-644-2767.
http://www.mesaaz.gov/city-hall/advisory-boards-committees/city-council

City of Mesa Fiscal Year 2016/17 Budget Wrap-up ]updated June 1]

Blogger's Note: Nothing is "wrapped-up" about the FY2016/17 Budget.
Nice pretty packaging with tricky out-of-scale and over-blown spatial renderings over-hype for sure, with the City Manager "scrubbing the numbers" to sell millions of dollars in spending to taxpayers. Better un-pack it AND ASK QUESTIONS NOW
FOR YOUR INFORMATION > get informed + engaged.
Here's the way it's supposed to work: "the city's budget is developed in conjunction with residents, the Mayor and City Council, City Manager and City Employees.
The result is a budget that closely matches the community's highest priorities each fiscal year." Huh???
Presented by the Office of Management and Budget
May 5, 2016
The Status
• FY 16/17 was intended as the second year of a two-year process to better align on-going expenditures with on-going revenues
• Realized operational savings in FY 14/15 has allowed for a temporary reprieve
• Annual budgets are reliant on savings to sustain services
• Departments are asked to review operations in pursuit of innovations that result in savings.  Operational savings of 2% is targeted
• Expense pressure continues regarding current services in the public safety areas while demand for services also continues to grow

Changes to the Proposed Budget

1. Light Rail Bike Patrol
Increased security in the light rail corridor through the expansion of the current light rail bike patrol $799,000 
Addition of a park ranger to assist in Pioneer Park $102,000
 2. The proposed budget included two additional Code Compliance Officers. 
The revised budget converts two existing CDBG funded code compliance officers to the general fund (allowing use of the CDBG funding for a pilot outreach program)
Enforcement/Outreach and Education
FY 15/16:  7 general fund officers, 3 CDBG officers (2 positions + 1 temp)
FY 16/17 : 10 general fund officers (9 positions +1 temp), reallocation of CDBG funding to community outreach [revised proposal]
3. Increase funding available for Historic Preservation Services  $50,000
Proposed budget included $15,000 of the $50,000

4. Increase in Human Services Funding $50,000
• Additional funding brings total to $876,000 for services and administration and $50,000 for utility assistance

THE ADOPTION TIMELINE

 

May 16: Capital Improvement Program, Public Hearing and  Adoption,
               Utility Rate Adjustments, Public Hearing and Adoption

June 6: Annual Budget, Tentative Adoption

June 20: Annual Budget and Secondary Property Tax Levy, Public Hearing
               Annual Budget, Final Adoption

July 5: Secondary Property Tax Levy Adoption



City Hall » Office of Management & Budget
Presentations & ReportsEach year, the city's budget is developed in conjunction with residents, the Mayor and City Council, City Manager and City Employees.
The result is a budget that closely matches the community's highest priorities each fiscal year.
Here you'll find the information on the city's budget, financial reports and other city reports.
http://www.mesaaz.gov/city-hall/office-of-management-budget/presentations-reports

Time-Stamp Tonight: NEMESIS/Hidden in Asteroid Belt? Mars Close Approach

Cosmically Cozy?. . . Major events on this planet. It's out there - the visuals are stunning

Published on May 30, 2016

Is there a Binary Dwarf Star now within a 4 year orbital intersection with Earth? http://www.BPEarthWatch.Com
The Video of the Magnetopause Reversals .http://www.solarsystemscope.com/