City of Mesa Q1 2019 Economic Newsletter Release

Just some highlights and extracts

The QUICK JAB

By Bill Jabjiniak

City of Mesa “Opportunity Zones” provides tax benefits for investors

Mesa’s designated Opportunity Zones are anchored by four business districts: the Mesa Gateway Area; the Falcon District; the Main Street Corridor (Downtown Mesa); and the Fiesta District. Mesa has many projects and developments that are perfect fits for opportunity zone investment within these areas.
To learn more about Mesa’s Opportunity Zones and how you can qualify, please visit www.MesaAzOpportunityZones.com
There's the usual "Mesa In The News"  Sidebar

Mesa Arts Center announces The Collective 2019
Mesa Arts Center has announced the inaugural cohort for The Collective, a 12-week certificate program that builds leadership skills through creative thinking and practices. The twenty-three participants represent a variety of different industries and professions and were selected through a competitive application and interview process.
Objectives of the arts-based program include; providing participants with leadership opportunities experienced through a creative lens; offering personal growth opportunities; creating a network of peers to include collaborators and leaders from diverse sectors; and equipping participants with an enhanced skill set and tools to design, implement and sustain effective community development.

All-new Mesa Life 2019 Visitor's Guide now available

The brand-new 2019 Official Mesa Life Visitors Guide, published by Visit Mesa, is available now for anyone wanting to know more about the Arizona’s third largest city and its popular attractions and offerings for visitors. The 64-page guide features editorial on Mesa’s in-demand experiences that set the destination apart here in the Southwest.

ATSU opens state-of-the-art digital dentistry center in Mesa

A.T. Still University - Arizona’s School of Dentistry & Oral Health (ATSU-ASDOH) held a ribbon-cutting ceremony on Nov. 6, 2018, for the Dillenberg Center-PDS Innovation Clinic at ATSU's Mesa campus, 5855 E. Still Circle.

The PDS Innovation Clinic is a state-of-the-art digital dentistry center where ATSU-ASDOH students and faculty provide cutting-edge patient care. The clinic creates unique educational opportunities for students, while improving access to low-cost, high-quality dental care for community members.

The PDS Innovation Clinic, named for Pacific Dental Services, consists of 11 operatories and a space dedicated to interprofessional collaboration between the dental school and ATSU’s other health professions programs. The facility is the University’s first 100 percent donor-funded initiative.  

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Source: First Quarter 2019

Our Futures on The Line / Downsides In Opportunity Zones

Missed this 3-day gathering last week at ASU, but here's a group image taken from social media. Any more information and details would certainly be appreciated when the San Francisco Federal Reserve Bank is one of the participants. At the center second row is Terry Benelli, President/CEO of  

LISC Phoenix, a national non-profit financial intermediary that helps put capital into communities that are ready and are the things the community actually wants to do.
Front row, 2nd from left is Kimber Lanning, founder of Local First Arizona.
There are 11 Opportunity Zones here in Mesa . . . What's happening here. Who's doing it? ...and
what are "the downsides' here in The Old-Donut Hole when the public isn't involved?
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See for yourself >

Opportunity Zones

www.selectmesa.com

 

File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat

Sep 25, 2018 ... The City of Mesa makes no claims concerning the accuracy of the data provided nor assumes any liability resulting from the use of the.

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You can also use the search box on this blog to look more into any number of posts on that subject that are also focused on what's fair, equitable, inclusive and affordable. Most investments that have caught the attention of mainstream media are for wealth-creation in real estate speculation, notably former AZ State Senator Bob Worsley Worsley scooping up ten commercial properties on Main Street [and two other investor wealth-creation groups] in holding companies and a 9.6-acre mixed-up development in The Temple Area by a for-profit affiliate of The Church of Jesus Christ of The Latter-Day Saints with a smaller-scale replica of the 23-acre City Creek in Salt Lake City, Utah that was planned with city officials for years where no financial details were disclosed to the public.

Says Robert Steuteville, editor of Public Square: A CNU Journal and senior communications adviser for the Congress for the New Urbanism:

The biggest support will come where the public sector has established the ground rules and infrastructure for compact urbanism. 

Opportunity Zones will help those who help themselves

Source: Congress for The New Urbanism 25 Feb 2019 

How many of the zones have plans, infrastructure, and coding in place for significant mixed-use development?
Preparation is key.
“What's the difference between an Opportunity Zone project idea, and an opportunity zone project?

One word: Readiness,” notes Ian Ross, founder of the website Oppsites.

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LISC Phoenix added,

terry benelli @terrybmesa  

The downsides are why it’s important that the people already living and working within #OpportunityZones lead the way in their communities -

 

Let's set a vision; guide investment!

 

https://twitter.com/impactXperience

 

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Related Content:

Terry Benelli: Executive Profile & Biography - Bloomberg

Ms. Terry Benelli has been Executive Director of Phoenix Program at Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) since January 01, 2015. According to a release

Aligning incentives with equitable economic development

by Ellen D. Harpel | Mar 20, 2019

Smart Incentives talked with city leaders about specific steps to connect their incentive programs to equitable economic development goals during a webinar offered with the National League of Cities for the Equitable Economic Development (EED) Fellowship program. The EED encourages cities to leverage their local economic development strategies to create more equitable access to opportunities within all of their communities. 

Incentive programs can be deployed in multiple ways to support more equitable or inclusive economic development by following these principles . . . Published on Sep 21, 2018

The Federal Reserve System works every day to support a growing and stable U.S. economy. Across the United States, the Federal Reserve, through its Federal Reserve Education program, also helps people understand how the economy works. So consumers have the tools to make sound financial decisions.

Through this education program, teachers have access to classroom ready online resources for students from kindergarten to college. Videos, classroom lessons, online education, publications, and more. These resources are all free for educators to use in their lesson plans or as they see fit. Many of the Federal Reserve System's regional Reserve Banks, located in 12 districts across the nation, also offer in person and online professional development that allows educators to deepen their knowledge and hone their craft when it comes to economics, personal finance, and more.
Students too can take advantage of in person opportunities by taking tours of exhibits in many of the 12 Federal Reserve Banks around the country. Whether a student visits with theirfamily or a school group, they get an in-depth look at how the Federal Reserve works to promote a healthy, sustainable U.S. economy. At the Board and Reserve Banks, students also get hands on opportunities like internships and participation on student boards, which introduce them to key economics concepts and potential careers in economics and finance.
Consumers are empowered to make sound financial decisions through the availability of easy to understand resources that explain personal finance concepts, the broader economy, and the Federal Reserve's role in it. Federal Reserve Education is committed to equipping educators, educating students, and empowering consumers when it comes to understanding and participating in our evolving economy.
For more information, visit
federalreserveeducation.org to find links to resources and Reserve Bank programs offered near you and follow Federal Reserve Education on Twitter at @FedEconEd.

Expect markets to grow volatile, says Allianz's Mohamed El-Erian

A Tug-of-War + The Fed faces a nominee with political influence. Q1 over > market can over-shoot in both directions.
Be ready to be agile and don't trust the trends >> take some money off-the-table . . .
Look for a change in Pro-Growth policies in Europe

Published on Apr 1, 2019

Views: 190 [at time of upload to this blog]

Mohamed El-Erian, chief economic advisor at Allianz, joins "Squawk Box" to discuss the markets, Stephen Moore's nomination to the Fed, and what he recommends investors do heading into the second quarter of 2019.

The 10 DUMBEST CITIES in AMERICA

Phoenix ranks 9th

Published on Mar 28, 2019

Views: 47,316 [at time of upload to this blog]

In order to rank the dumbest cities in America, we had to look at which cities have the highest high school dropout rates as well as which cities have low college graduation rates.

This is a pretty good indication of where people live who don't have educational backgrounds.

Additionally, we measured how many libraries are in each city, as a ratio versus number of places to party.

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Blow-Jobs In Baltimore Come Back-to-Bite David Stringer

 

Whoa! What did it take to clear-out one more legislator here in the Arizona State House? Fearless and relentless investigative reporting by one journalist and one source. After months of dilly-dallying slack efforts by every mainstream media outlet in Phoenix.
Cheers for Steven Hsieh and Lawrence Lanahan to crack it open - thanks to microfiche records for uncharged crimes.
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Phoenix New Times reporter Steven Hsieh started if off with an email back in December and got a fast reply
https://twitter.com/stevenjhsieh
"We would not know about David Stringer's past if not for @llanahan. I emailed him in December. Four days later he walked out of a courtroom with the microfiche that led to today's revelations. . . "

. . . and three months later Stringer is out

Lawrence Lanahan did the research
https://twitter.com/llanahan

 

 

Read it for yourself:

David Stringer Molested Children, Including ... - Phoenix New Times

https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/report-david-stringer-molested-children-incl...

 

2 days ago - Content warning: This article contains graphic descriptions of sexual assault involving children. Baltimore police arrested former Arizona lawmaker David Stringer four decades ago on suspicion of repeatedly molesting two children — including a "mentally defective or mentally ...

 

David Stringer Mocked 'Diversity' - Phoenix New Times

https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/david-stringer-mocked-diversity-asian-stude...

 

23 hours ago - In addition to newly revealed details of David Stringer's past sex crimes, the report released on Friday also describes a previously unreported ...

David Stringer Resigns After New Times Investigation | Phoenix New ...

https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/david-stringer-resigns-after-new-times-invest...

 

4 days ago - Arizona State Representative David Stringer resigned from office on Wednesday after refusing to cooperate with an ethics investigation into sex crime charges he faced in 1983, including child pornography, which were first revealed by Phoenix New Times in January.

David Stringer Must Make Sex-Crime Records ... - Phoenix New Times

https://www.phoenixnewtimes.com/news/arizona-legislature-david-stringer-sex-crime-...

 

Mar 20, 2019 - Since the disclosure of his State Rep. David Stringer's sex crime charges, the state representative has made a concerted effort to keep ...

PhoenixNewTimes on Twitter: "Rep. David Stringer strikes again. https ...

 

https://twitter.com/phoenixnewtimes/status/1006968530808418305?lang=en

 

Find us on Facebook and Instagram: PhoenixNewTimes .... Some other things to know about Rep David Stringer: He thinks teaching doesn't requires any ...

Theresa May: An Obituary

Pie in Top-form at it !!!

Published on Mar 29, 2019

Views: 418,226 [at time of upload to this blog]

Theresa May falls on her sword...and misses.
For tickets to see Jonathan Pie: The Fake News Tour go to http://jonathanpie.com

Here In Mesa: Truth-or-Dare In Accounting > Just The Data

It's that time again to another look at data from another source as the budget presentations are getting heard and discussed in a series of public meetings in front of the Mesa City Council that has already started just this past week in Thursday, March 28, 2019:
Truth In Accounting
Readers of this blog might remember that when anyone - including any Mesa City Councilmember who dared to question the data or forecasts and predictions made by Candace Cannistraro, City Manager Chris Brady or the staff of the Office of Management & Budget - got verbally attacked and derided during the meetings over the course of weeks from February through May. How dare they question anything?
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SNAPSHOT BY THE NUMBERS Mesa's Bills Exceed Its Assets [*in the millions]

Assets * $4,097

• Less: Capital Assets * $2,892
• Restricted Assets * $132
• Assets Available to Pay Bills * $1,073
• Less: Bills * $1,885
• Money Available (Needed) to Pay Bills * ($813)
• Each Taxpayer's Surplus (Burden) ($5,800)

The Bills Mesa has Accumulated

• State Bonds * $1,797
• Other Liabilities * $267
• Less: Debt Related to Capital Assets * $1,658
• Unfunded Pension Benefits * $830
• Unfunded Retirees' Health Care Benefits * $648
• Bills * $1,885

https://www.statedatalab.org/state_data_and_comparisons/city/mesahttps://www.statedatalab.org/state_data_and_comparisons/city/mesa

News: 2019 Financial State of the Cities

January 28, 2019

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TIA Data

2017 Financial State of Mesa (Released 1/29/2019)

Mesa's Taxpayer Burden.™ is -$5,800, and received a "D" from TIA.

Mesa is a Sinkhole City without enough assets to cover its debt.

Decisions by elected officials have created a Taxpayer Burden™, which is each taxpayer's share of city bills after its available assets have been tapped.

TIA's Taxpayer Burden™ measurement incorporates all assets and liabilities, including retirement obligations.

Mesa only has $1.1 billion of assets available to pay bills totaling $1.9 billion.

Because Mesa doesn't have enough money to pay its bills, it has a $812.5 million financial hole. To erase this shortfall, each Mesa taxpayer would have to send $5,800 to the city.

Mesa's reported net position is overstated by $175.3 million, largely because the city delays recognizing losses incurred when the net pension liability increases.

The city's financial report was released 186 days after its fiscal year end, which is considered untimely according to the 180 day standard.

Prior Years' TIA Data
2016 Financial State of Mesa
2015 Financial State of Mesa
Other Resources
Mesa Comprehensive Annual Financial Reports
Publishing Entity: Mesa City Hall

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Download the new report here.

On January 29, Truth in Accounting released its third Financial State of the Cities report, a comprehensive analysis of the fiscal health of the nation's 75 most populous cities based on fiscal year 2017 comprehensive annual financial reports. 

This year, the study found that 63 cities do not have enough money to pay all of their bills, and in total, the cities have racked up nearly $330 billion in unfunded municipal debt. 

The study ranks the cities according to their Taxpayer Burden or Taxpayer Surplus™, which is each taxpayer's share of city bills after available assets have been tapped.

Check out the data for your city at the State Data Lab.