Mesa City Study Session Mon 08 May 2017

Empty seats for public
Published May 8, 2017
Views: 15
Item 4-m brought to attention by City Manager Chris Brady about TOPAZ, explained with a very brief 3 slides?? A network of radio tower sites 
[information on thisblog site in an earlier post about radio networks: 800 MHz and VHF network.
360 sq miles for radio coverage area with 4,000 subscribers, 11,000 inter-operability users.
668,000 transmissions per month.
$1.91 Million annual budget

I Love Hard-Hitting Reporting Like This: Outing Senator Flake

Jeff Flake Featured on I-10 Billboard: 'He Voted to Let Them Sell Your Web History'

Friday, May 5, 2017 at 1:30 p.m.  By Antonia Noori Farzan 

Jeff Flake's wildly unpopular decision to sponsor a bill repealing the Federal Communications Commission's rules for broadband privacy is coming back to haunt him.

This week, a billboard splashed with Flake's face and office phone number appeared at I-10 and Baseline Road in Phoenix.
It points out that Flake accepted more than $185,000 in campaign donations from telecom companies over the course of his career, before voting in March to let them sell users' browsing history without permission.
[graphics added for this post on the blog site.
Not in original report]

The billboard was paid for by a crowdfunding campaign organized by Fight for the Future, a nonprofit group that advocates for internet freedom and online privacy.
The Verge has a list of all 265 Republicans in Congress and the Senate who voted to pass it, along with how much money they received in campaign contributions from telecom companies during the last election cycle.

"Senator Flake was the sponsor of SJ Res 34, so he was a natural target for our first round of billboards, since he did perhaps more than any other member of Congress to sell off his constituents' right to use the internet safely and securely," Evan Greer, Fight for the Future's campaign director, explains.
"The other lawmakers that we targeted were ones that had taken large amounts of money from the telecom industry. Rutherford was picked because there were constituents in his district that were particularly upset and wanted to help make a billboard happen there, and we wanted to make sure that every member of Congress knew that they could be targeted if they vote against their constituents' interests."
Phoenix New Times 

 

 

Re: Topaz Regional Wireless Cooperative (TRWC).

About TRWC

The City of Mesa, the City of Apache Junction, the Towns of Gilbert and Queen Creek, the Superstition Fire and Medical District (formerly Apache Junction Fire District), and the Fort McDowell Yavapai Nation have established the Topaz Regional Wireless Cooperative (TRWC).

The function of the TRWC, through the implementation of the TRWC Governance Process, is to jointly operate a regional radio system that is modern in its management, has equity in membership, and provides for support and future growth.

The governance process creates radio coverage Areas and associated Area Managers that administer the area operations, infrastructure, and assets through a structure that fosters collaborative planning amongst members.

The governance also emphasizes flexibility, outlines support for public safety communications, and considers future budgetary requirements. Initial and subsequent qualified members join the TRWC via Intergovernmental Agreement (IGA).
The IGA establishes an initial 5-year agreement with automatic renewal of additional 5-year terms, and outlines the financial obligation of participation in the TRWC.
The Topaz Regional Wireless Cooperative (TRWC) links the radio systems of multiple jurisdictions to maximize public safety and service-oriented communications and promote interoperability. By working together, we foster regional efficiencies that ultimately better serve our citizens.

THE BOARD

Chair John Kross, Town Manager Town of Queen Creek 480-358-3905 john.kross@queencreek.org Jay Ducote, Fire Chief Rio Verde Fire Department 480-471-2304 jducote@rioverdefire.orgJohn Pombier, Deputy City Manager City of Mesa 480-644-5119 john.pombier@mesaaz.gov Jerry Ward, Communications Administrator City of Apache Junction 480-671-5448 jward@ajcity.net Mike Farber, Assistant Chief Superstition Fire & Medical District 480-982-4440, Ext. 121 mike.farber@sfmd.az.gov Marc Skocypec, Asst. Town ManagerTown of Gilbert 480-503-6862 marc.skocypec@gilbertaz.gov Mark Openshaw, Fire ChiefFort McDowell Yavapai Nation 480-789-7521 mopenshaw@ftmcdowell.org Executive Director Dale Shaw TOPAZ Regional Wireless Cooperative 480-747-3253 dshaw@topazrwc.org

The Governance Model establishes

• an Administrative Manager (Mesa) and the Board of Directors;
• the Administrative Manager appoints an Executive Director with Board of Directors' approval.

Membership into the TRWC can occur at four levels: Full Member, Associate Member, Interoperability Participant and Conditional Participant.
All matters are decided by a numerical vote of the Board of Directors, with weighted voting allowed as requested by a member.
Participation in the TRWC requires a financial commitment from each participating entity. Operational, maintenance, and capital costs are designed to be completely self funding with each subscriber paying into the TRWC.
Other funding is/can be obtained through special assessment fees and grants.
The Administrative Manager administers the financial portion of the model, and costs are spread equitably over the TRWC Areas and their respective system subscribers.
Optional services (from Mesa) may include dispatch services and maintenance services depending upon need.
For more information about the TRWC, please contact Dale Shaw, TRWC Executive Director dshaw@topazrwc.org.

Next Meeting:

May 25, 2017 9:00 a.m. TRWC Board of Directors Meeting Phoenix-Mesa Gateway Airport Please call or email Melanie Humphries (City of Mesa) at 480-644-6151 or melanie.humphries@mesaaz.gov for more information.

Source: http://www.topazrwc.org/Meetings.aspx

Agendas & Minutes

Year	Date	Document Title
	12-15-16	Agenda
		4 - Minutes from 09-29-16 Meeting
		5 - GRIC Interoperability Agreement
		7 - TRWC FY 2017-2018 Budget
		7 - FY 2017/2018 Proposed Budget
		7 - Current and Proposed Motorola Services
		8 - Firstnet Presentation
		9a - FY 2016/2017 Finance Update
		9a - FY 2016/2017 Year to Date Actuals
FY2017/18 Endorsed Budget ANNUAL ESTIMATED REVENUE: OPERATING & MAINTENANCE Mesa $         1,375,752 71.86% Gilbert             319,211 16.67% Superstition Fire & Medical               14,283 0.75% Apache Junction             153,796 8.03% Ft McDowell               28,271 1.48% Queen Creek                 7,922 0.41% Southwest Ambulance               12,251 0.64% American Medical Response                 2,450 0.13% Rio Verde                   5250.03% TOTAL $        1 ,914,461100.00%		9b - Administrator Update

The truth is we just don’t know . . .

From Site Selection magazine, May 2017
2017 Global Best to Invest 
by ADAM JONES-KELLEY 

If it feels to you that the world went a little bonkers in 2016, the good news is you’re not paranoid.

There’s far more data supporting that belief than the US president manages in any early morning tweet.

And things could get worse.

Source: Site Selection Mag

 

2016 saw populist uprisings across the globe, prompting Britain to bolt the EU, the United States to elect an anti-trade protectionist and China to slap limits on capital outflow. The results were predictable, yet still startling.

Is this the new normal? In a world where the United States is threatening a retreat from free and open global trade, where populations are aging and robots and automation are replacing traditional workers, are we in for a sustained period of contraction? These are the questions that keep economists up late at night. The truth is we just don’t know.

Positive Vibrations
That, obviously, is the bad news.
The good news is that there’s still plenty of good news.
And the Global Best to Invest Report, while noting economic headwinds, is here to celebrate the good.
FDI flows into transition economies such as Kazakhstan and Russia were up a staggering 38 percent. 
There was also continued growth in North America, where FDI inflows were up 6 percent, and there was a sizeable increase in investment in other developed economies, principally Australia and Japan.
We’ll happily take 6-percent growth, though it’s worth noting that this pales in comparison to 2015, when developed countries saw a 90-percent jump over 2014 levels. 
FDI into Canada last year decreased from US$43 billion to an estimated $29 billion, as M&A sales and greenfield projects in the country tumbled.
Flows to the United States grew by 11 percent, from $348 billion to an estimated $385 billion, bolstered by strong equity investment inflows as cross-border M&As in the country rose 17 percent in value — disproportionately led by a host of megadeals.
The United States remained the largest recipient of FDI in the world, attracting an estimated US$385 billion, followed by the United Kingdom with flows of $179 billion. China remained in third position with a record inflow of $139 billion. 
How the Winners Were Chosen
The 9th annual Global Best to Invest Awards are based in part on capital investments into private-sector facilities in each country (total projects and per capita projects) as compiled by the Conway Analytics Report from the proprietary Conway Projects Database. Qualifying projects are corporate investments (from both FDI and domestic firms) that contribute to the well-being of the areas in which they are made by meeting at least one of the following three criteria: 

• Represent a minimum investment of US$1 million
• Create a minimum of 20 new jobs
• Involve at least 20,000 sq. ft. (1,900 sq. m.) of new space.

The following four data sets are also used to compile these proprietary rankings:

• World Bank Doing Business 2016, which gauges a nation’s ease of doing business;
• Overall ranking in The Global Competitiveness Report 2015-2016 from the World Economic Forum;
• The Human Development Index from the United Nations Development Programme, which focuses on people and their capabilities as indicators of national development;
• The Global Competitiveness Index Historical Dataset 2005-2015.

No amount of anxiety about tomorrow, about the many challenges global economies face, can obscure the triumphs we celebrate in this issue. We congratulate the countries recognized by these awards, the companies whose growth fueled this success, and the men and women, and their families, whose lives are so directly impacted by all this economic activity

_______________________________________________________________

City of Mesa Office Economic Development-FTZ 221

William Jabjiniak
Economic Development Director
20 East Main Street, Suite 200PO Box 1466
Mesa, AZ, 85201
UNITED STATES
Phone: (480)644-2398
Fax: (480)664-3458
Website 

 

 

Robots + Human Intelligence: How It Might Work

More Robots, Fewer Jobs? 



By Mira RojanasakulMira Rojanasakul and Peter CoyPeter Coy May 8, 2017            

Are you about to be replaced by a robot?
The question has broad implications for the U.S. economy, especially the manufacturing sector. Industries that robotize tend to increase output.

But robots can have dire consequences for workers.

Two economists recently concluded that both jobs and wages fall in parts of the U.S. where more robots are installed.
....and there are other conclusions also. 

The March 2017 study by Daron Acemoglu of Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Pascual Restrepo of Boston University shows the commuting zones—i.e., local labor markets—where robot installations have grown the most.

Note: The period covered by the study ended right before the recession of 2007–09. Acemoglu and Restrepo said the recession introduced too many variables that affected employment, which would have made it more difficult to isolate the impact of robots.

So what’s happened since the recession, and what does it mean for manufacturing jobs? We gathered and plotted data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics for various manufacturing sectors to try to get a better sense. Obviously, this type of analysis doesn’t let you draw the direct conclusions Acemoglu and Restrepo were able to make about robots. But you do see some interesting trends when it comes to manufacturing employment. . .

Bottom line: Robots do replace workers. On the other hand, some industries that don't automate end up losing workers anyway, because their costs are too high and their customers go elsewhere. For workers, robots are only part of the problem.



Read more from the article here >>

Hyper-Local: Spotlight On Smart Innovative Thinking > Dominic Parra

A new kind of metropolitan leadership
Very impressed by this guy at last month's Mesa Economic Development Advisory Board meeting. It was early in the morning on Tue 03 April 2017. Few members of the public were there. District 2 Mesa City Council member Jeremy Whittaker was 'moon-lighting early' sitting way in the back of the lower level chambers with a Surface Pro4 ...as chairman of the Economic Development he's invited Dominic Parra to Today's meeting @ 4 o'clock.
If that's a better time for you to find out more about Arizona Institute For Digital Progress you encourage to participate

Dominic Parra talking with Mike Likens

at 03 April 2017 EDAB meeting.

Bill Jabjiniak in the background

The Intellectual Hub for SmartCity/IoT
​Technology and Innovation in PHX :  Our mission is to transform the PHX region into a global hub of SmartCity/IoT technology driven by collaborative civic innovation

Mission: Real Change For Real People

The mission of the Council will be to affect REAL CHANGE FOR REAL PEOPLE through the practical application of innovative technology within our communities.  In other words, this Council is built for one thing and one thing only,

to Get Stuff Done! 

Partnerships with members of the Council and outside organizations will result in multidisciplinary teams co-creating new solutions with innovative approaches. They will work together to solve the real problems that our cities and our citizens face. These projects will occur in areas that fall under the authority of local, regional, and state governments, or as part of sector-oriented programs for the provision of services in the fields of education, health, transportation and others. The idea of these activities is to transform the PHX region into a living testbed where prototypes and concepts can be developed and tested in real urban settings. Then, once they’re proven, we will help spread them to cities across the world to improve quality of life for people everywhere. We will think Global and act Local. 

More? ...GO HERE

Warehouse Jobs: You Might Fit In Somewhere

A slew of new automation specialists appear on the warehouse battlefield.

‎April‎ ‎5‎, ‎2017‎ ‎2‎:‎45‎ ‎AM ‎April‎ ‎5‎, ‎2017‎ ‎7‎:‎29‎ ‎AM

by Patrick Clark @pat_clarkMore stories by Patrick Clark

and

Kim Bhasin @KimBhasinMore stories by Kim Bhasin

 

It was Amazon that drove America’s warehouse operators into the robot business.
Quiet Logistics, which ships apparel out of its Devens, Mass., warehouse, had been using robots made by a company called Kiva Systems. When Amazon bought Kiva in 2012, Quiet hired scientists. In 2015 it spun out a new company called Locus Robotics, which raised $8 million in venture capital. Last year, Locus unveiled its own warehouse robotics solution called the LocusBot—first using it for its own business, then selling them to companies that ship everything from housewares to auto parts.

Now, Locus has landed a bigger fish: It’s selling its robots to DHL Supply Chain (a unit of Deutsche Post DHL Group), the world’s largest third-party logistics company. DHL will use the machines at a Memphis, Tenn., location to help ship surgical devices to operating rooms across the country

Read more >> Bloomberg