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OPINION
Opinion
SCOTTSDALE PROGRESS | WWW.SCOTTSDALE.ORG | JUNE 9, 2019
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Some bond basics Scottsdale needs to know BY SOLANGE WHITEHEAD Progress Guest Writer
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n November, voters will consider approving three bond questions containing 58 projects that are divided into: 1. Parks, Recreation, and Senior Services 2. Community Spaces and Infrastructure 3. Public Safety and Technology Citizen input helped �inalize the list of projects and City Council unanimously approve the bond package. In the coming months, I’ll go into detail on the projects but wanted to �irst share bond basics. Please see the complete list on the City website: scottsdaleaz.gov/construction/unfunded-cip-projects
What is a GO Bond? A Government Obligation (GO) bond is like a home equity line of credit. It establishes a maximum loan amount the City can borrow. The City is not required to borrow any or all of the approved money. The City can only use the funds for the voter approved projects. And while a home equity line is secured by the equity in the borrower’s home, a GO bond is secured with future property tax revenue. Go bonds require voter approval.
What is the cost? There is no cost to taxpayers if the bonds are passed. Aside from the election cost which is roughly $2.50 per voter. Interest and fees only kick in when the
City taps the funds to start a project. GO bonds are preferred because this form of debt has the lowest interest rate. In today’s market, the interest would be about 4 percent. How are the bonds paid back? Through secondary property taxes.
How will my taxes go down? Property taxes are decreasing as existing bonds are paid off. The $319M bond gets important projects done and should net a lower property tax. How do Scottsdale taxes compare? Scottsdale has the second lowest property taxes in the Valley. Where will I vote? All voters will receive a ballot in the
mail whether or not the voter usually votes at the polls. Voters can mail or drop off ballots.
Is the Council’s job done after bonds are voter approved? No, absolutely not. Each project will still be subject to Council review and approval. I will continue to work with staff to seek out alternate funding sources for projects and review costs to ensure we stretch every single tax dollar spent. Scottsdale’s sparkle and international appeal is the product of citizendriven ideas made possible with voter approved bonds. I plan to enthusiastically vote yes on all three bond questions. -Solange Whitehead is a Scottsdale Councilwoman
Why the bond package makes sense for the city BY SONNIE KIRTLEY Progress Guest Writer
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ow and where Scottsdale has grown has been a longstanding concern for residents and neighborhoods. Scottsdale voters will have an opportunity this November to chart the best possible course for our community’s future with long-term and unifying support. The opportunity comes on the November 2019 ballot through Questions 1, 2 and 3. The three bond measures invest in long-overdue infrastructure repairs and community projects across our city that will support and improve our quality of life. Scottsdale’s residents and neighborhoods will see and feel the bene�its from the bonds in both the short and longterm. Citywide support is surfacing from diverse neighborhoods. I attended 90 percent-plus of the early morning city
The final 58 projects in the $319 million bond that represent the public open house and internet responses from the community were approved 7-0 by the city council to be on the ballot. council Capital Improvement Subcommittee public meetings for more than a year where they carefully deliberated all the projects submitted by every department in the city. The �inal 58 projects in the $319 million bond that represent the public open house and internet responses from the community were approved 7-0 by the city council to be on the ballot. You can review the details of this list on the city website at scottsdaleaz.gov/elections/ bond-2019-project-list So, what does it include? The bond package includes renovating hiking trails and expanding parking at Pinnacle Peak Park, expanding the Via
Linda and Granite Reef senior centers and renovating police and fire stations that serve our neighborhoods. The McCormick-Stillman Railroad Park will also see improvements. A new 17-acre park will be built in the Whisper Rock area and a new dog park added at Thompson Peak Park. Lakes will be repaired in the far southern areas of Indian Bend Wash where they now leak — wasting water supplies. These are developments we can all support. The three bonds also make needed and essential infrastructure repairs throughout Scottsdale. Some of those repairs are needed immediately be-
cause of budget cuts during the last recession. The bond package replaces aging infrastructure inside the downtown Civic Center as well as builds new infrastructure which helps our critical tourism and small business communities. A new bridge will be built on Thompson Peak Parkway over Reata Pass Wash to improve safety and flood mitigation. Aging buildings will be replaced at the Paiute Community Center that is in southern Scottsdale. It is home to important community services including Head Start and Boys & Girls Club programs as well as domestic violence help and emergency food boxes for families in need. All those investments are sorely needed and overdue to help our neighborhoods and neighbors. Over my 50 years as a Scottsdale resident, Scottsdale has often debated who is in charge: Developers or the residents? This package clearly spells out who — residents.