City staff proposes $189 million budget for FY 2023

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Councilmember Nancy Smith, second from left, and Vice Mayor Vince Manfredi, third from left, members of City Council's Budget and Finance subcommittee, look over a preliminary draft of the budget for FY 2022-23 at a meeting on April 27, 2022. Also in attendance were Councilmember Amber Liermann, left, and City Manager Rick Horst, right. [Bryan Mordt]

The City of Maricopa unveiled Wednesday a preliminary spending plan of about $189 million for the next fiscal year.

Its operating budget will grow 10%, to $60.4 million, for 2022-2023. About $129 million is budgeted for capital improvement projects. The city’s budgeted operating revenue grew from $62.48 million to $78.23 million according to the budget report. The increase came primarily from intergovernmental revenues and local sales taxes.

The plan unveiled Wednesday includes a property tax rate cut – for the fifth consecutive year. Still, the City will generate more revenue because of growth in the housing market and higher property values.

The City collected $14.8 million in property taxes in 2022. Growth of the assessed properties in the past year added $1.4 million in value, but the City cut the secondary tax rate from 0.88% to 0.84% which reduced the total amount collected from homeowners by $737,870. That leaves an additional $630,755 in City coffers despite the lower tax rate.

The budgets for police and fire/medical operations is $12.1 million and $11.2 million, respectively.

The Capital Improvement Projects budget allocates 73% of the $129 million to streets infrastructure (59%) and building (14%). Water infrastructure at 8% and parks and recreation at 7% are the next highest expenditures. Land acquisition at 3% and economic development, community improvements, the city’s vehicle fleet and public safety, all at 2%, round out the city’s expenditures.

Major transportation projects will include the beginning of work on phase 1 of the East-West Corridor (Sonoran Parkway), improvements to the intersection of Smith Enke and State Route 347 and by adding a northbound lane to SR 347 from Cobblestone Farms Drive north to the city limit.

Parks and recreation projects include phase 1 and 2 improvements to the Park at the Lakes that will include construction of Little League baseball fields, replacement of tables and stadium seating at Pacana Park, a multi-use master plan, and pool and building improvements at Copper Sky.

One of the largest expenditures in the budget is the beginning of work on the Sonoran Desert Parkway (formerly East-West Corridor). The city will spend $30.1 million to improve Farrell Road along the alignment from Porter Road to SR 347. The work will include expansion of Farrell Road to a principal arterial standard and construction of a five-lane bridge on Porter Road across the Santa Rosa Wash sufficient to accommodate 100-year storm flows.

The city also will spend $1 million to begin work on the Green Road overpass at the Union Pacific tracks and another $300,000 for design of the Green Road bypass and loop design that will take truck traffic off SR 347 and provide the city another north-south transportation corridor.

City Manager Rick Horst discusses a preliminary spending plan for FY 2022-23 with members of the Budget and Finance Council Subcommittee on April 27, 2022. [Bryan Mordt]
According to the budget, “The City needs another east-west arterial street because of increased traffic and the anticipated growth in the area. A portion of this project may be reimbursed by the Pinal Regional Transportation Authority, should voters approve the sales tax initiative in November 2022.”

Construction of the new police administration and public safety answering point (9-1-1- call center) building and a communications tower at Fire Station 572 will be funded in the coming year. Other economic development expenditures include the purchase of 15.12 acres of land for about $3 million to develop Maricopa Station, continuing development of the Public Market project and moving power lines underground in the Heritage District.

In his transmission letter to the city council, city manager Rick Horst identified a tag line for the coming year – Maricopa Elevated.

“This year’s tag line is a reflection of all the people, past and present, who have come here to see a richer, fuller life; to seek freedom and peace; to seek opportunity and livability; and to let the prospect of the place shape their own independent aspirations,” Horst said in the document. “Let us give more and expect more as we seek to be one of the premier cities in Arizona.”