CUSD BEGINS BUDGET PROCESS
MUSEUM OFFERS NEW EXHIBITS
PAGE 10
PAGE 26
From Uptown to Downtown, covering Chandler like the sun.
An edition of the East Valley Tribune
INSIDE
This Week
NEWS ............................. 18 Downtown Chandler comedy show a laugh riot.
BUSINESS ..................... 21
Chandler events company regains footing.
FREE | chandlernews.com
March 20, 2022
As rents soar, Chandler helping struggling tenants BY KEN SAIN Arizonan Staff Writer
R
iann Balch, Chandler’s community resources manager, said a senior in the city recently moved out of their home and into a car. “They said the landlord raised their rent $300 and they didn’t know what else to do,” Balch said. There are more stories like that. Part of Balch’s mission is to help keep Chandler residents in their home. The federal government
established the Emergency Rental Assistance Program to help do that during the pandemic. So far, Balch said they’ve been able to help 741 Chandler households with their first grant of $7.95 million. The city asked for, and received, $7 million additional funds in December that it is just starting to hand out. That money came from grants approved during the Trump administration. The city also received $6.3 million for the program from money approved during the Biden administration. The two funds come with different re-
Chandler wrote off $3.3M in unpaid utility bills
quirements so the city keeps them separate. That’s more than $21 million in federal funds to help keep Chandler residents in their homes. To qualify, the pandemic must have played some role in why the family needs assistance. “That’s fairly flexible, and far ranging,” she said. For example, a family might need help because of increased child care costs or lost employment because their child keeps be-
see RENT page 4
A word with the bird
BY KEN SAIN Arizonan Staff Writer
SPORTS .......................
23
Hamilton baseball aims for redemption.
COMMUNITY ............................. 20 BUSINESS ...................................... 21
SPORTS .......................................... 23 GET OUT ....................................... 26 CLASSIFIEDS ..................................27
T
he City of Chandler has written off about $3.3 million in unpaid utility bills in the past seven years. While that total sounds high, city officials say it is actually better than most cities. “The industry standard is about 1%,” said Jason Hafen, the city’s utility services manager. “Our average annual revenue is about $100 million and over seven years we’ve written off less than half a percent.” That total is for all of the city-provided utilities, including water, solid waste, sewer and reclaimed water. The city announced on March 15, 2020 that it would stop disconnecting residents who did not pay their bills because of the pandemic. That lasted for little more than a year before they be-
see UTILITY page 2
As Maggie Mehan records her on video, Havalind Babcock tried feeding leaves to one of the stars of the 32nd annual Chandler Chamber Ostrich Festival, which wraps up today, March 20. (David Minton/Arizonan Staff Photographer)
WE SUPPORT HOMETOWN HEROES. ASK ABOUT OUR HOMETOWN HEROES BENEFITS AND SAVINGS. 480-855-6287 • WESTERNBANKS.COM Member FDIC
