Coronado expands scholarships / P. 4
New eatery opening / P. 35
An edition of the East Valley Tribune
INSIDE
FREE ($1 OUTSIDE OF SCOTTSDALE) | scottsdale.org
Doomsday clock ticking for Scottsdale Uni�ied BY J. GRABER Progress Staff Writer HOWARD FISCHER Capitol Media Services
NEIGHBORS ............ 23 Duet program pairs seniors with volunteers.
BUSINESS .................. 26 Poisoned Pen owner honored.
ARTS .................... ..........32 Talliesin features famed glass artist.
NEIGHBORS ......................................... 23 BUSINESS .............................................. 26 ARTS ...........................................32 FOOD...........................................35 CLASSIFIEDS...............................36
Sunday, February 6, 2022
A
financial doomsday clock is ticking for most Arizona school districts and unless the Legislature stops it by March 1, they’ll need to cut $1.2 billion in spending before the end
of this school year. That includes Scottsdale Unified, which would have to cut $27 million if the Legislature does not raise or postpone the Aggregate Expenditure Limit that dates back to the 1980s – when Arizona voters approved a spending cap for K-12 schools that lawmakers could override with a
Fore!
see SCHOOL page 16
City revenue up, but so are costs for capital projects BY J. GRABER Progress Staff Writer
C
onsumer spending is high, filling the City of Scottsdale’s coffers – but the same cannot be said about revenue from construction sales taxes, according to Scottsdale City Treasurer Sonia Andrews. Between Nov. 1 and Dec. 24, Mastercard Spending Pulse – which tracks all payment methods, not just Mastercard – tracked an increase in total retail spending up 8.5 percent, Andrews told City Council last week. That spending surge powered a 25% increase in sales tax revenue, or $14.3
Andrew Bloom REALTOR®, Senior Partner Andrew@BVOLuxury.com VOTED #1 SCOTTSDALE REAL ESTATE TEAM FOR 2018
million more than the $69.4 million projected for the year in the current city budget. But Councilwoman Tammy Caputi was struck by the fact that sales tax revenue from construction only matched but did not exceed the projected $7.3 million. She expected it to surpass projects just like consumer sales tax revenue did. At the same time, ironically, inflation in the construction industry has bondfunded city capital projects running $24 million over budget. Caputi was mystified by the trend in
see COUNCIL page 12
James Hahn is expected to make a great showing at the Waste Management Phopenix Open that opens in full, non-pandemic glory tomorrow, Feb. 6. For a look at some of the new features in “The People’s Open,” see page 4. (Special to the Progress)
(480) 999-2948 www.BVOLuxury.com
