City of Phoenix Welcomes Community Input for 2023-24 Proposed Trial Budget

https://www.phoenix.gov/newsroom/budget-and-research/2700

Budget & Research

3/21/2023 11:00:00 PM

https://www.phoenix.gov/newssite/Lists/NewsArticle/Attachments/2700/City-Hall-in-Downtown-Phoenix.jpg

City of Phoenix Welcomes Community Input for 2023-24 Proposed Trial Budget

<div class="ExternalClass414703DBF3EE4AA69B7F8ACE547022BA"><html> The City of Phoenix Trial Budget for Fiscal Year (FY) 2023-2024, proposed by Phoenix City Manager Jeff Barton, is ready for public review and comment. City Manager Barton presented a balanced Trial Budget to Council on March 21, 2023. The proposed Trial Budget will provide new and expanded programs and services to the community, and ensure the City can competitively pay its employees in order to attract and retain a highly skilled workforce. “This year’s Trial Budget is focused on ensuring that we can deliver quality, timely and efficient services to our residents,” said Phoenix City Manager Jeff Barton. “Over the last three years, the City has made smart, strategic decisions and has expanded programs to assist our residents with the impact and aftermath of COVID-19. The Trial Budget ensures that those vital services and most importantly the people who provide them can be sustained for years to come.” During the month of April, the Budget and Research Department will hold 11 community budget hearings, inviting residents to attend in-person and give public comment. The schedule of budget hearings can be found at <a style="color:rgb(30, 81, 136);" tabindex="0" href="https://phoenix.gov/budget/hearings" data-cke-saved-href="https://phoenix.gov/budget/hearings" target="_blank">phoenix.gov/budget/hearings</a>. This proposed Trial Budget for fiscal year 2023-24 includes $14 million for service additions in key City Council priority areas such as: public safety and criminal justice, including adding firefighters to staff a new Fire station located at 19th Avenue and Chandler Boulevard which will help to improve response times; further efforts to civilianize positions in the Police Department to allow sworn officers to respond to higher level public safety calls for service; resources to continue important expiring grant funded programs to support low-income residents and victims of crime; resources are also proposed to add park rangers for overnight patrol at City parks, and increases for community arts grant funding. Additionally, $1 million is reserved for community input and recommendations reflecting resident comments gathered over the next several weeks. Based on available funds some of the suggestions could be incorporated into the final City Manager’s Budget scheduled to be presented to City Council on May 2nd. The remaining $5 million would be allocated to the General Fund contingency fund, or rainy-day fund to account for proposed ongoing spending initiatives. The 2023-24 Trial Budget also proposes to allocate resources to address employee compensation, so we can provide the highest level of service ensuring our most valuable assets are paid competitively and positions can be filled with the best talent available. The City is experiencing significant vacancy rates due to the competitive labor market and therefore approximately 85%, or $114 million, of the total $134 million surplus in the 2023-24 Trial Budget is allocated to employee compensation. This investment in our employees is necessary and will help to fill vacant positions so the services residents rely on and expect can continue to be provided with improved service levels. What is the General Fund? The General Fund is part of the City of Phoenix’s total budget. The General Fund is made up of resources including general sales tax, property taxes, revenue distributed by the state from income tax, sales and vehicle license taxes, and some fines and fees. The General Fund supports many of the services our residents, visitors, and businesses have come to expect in Phoenix such as libraries, parks, senior and youth programs and police and fire services. What’s Next? After community review, City Manager Barton will present a revised proposed budget to the Phoenix City Council on May 2, 2023. The City Council is expected to decide on the budget on May 16, 2023. The approved budget will take effect July 1, 2023. Community Input Residents are encouraged to participate in upcoming in-person budget hearings. The community is also encouraged to use the City’s FundPHX interactive tool to provide input. The <a style="color:rgb(30, 81, 136);" tabindex="0" href="https://phoenix.gov/fund" data-cke-saved-href="https://phoenix.gov/fund" target="_blank">FundPHX tool</a> allows residents to provide direct feedback on the proposed FY 2023-24 Trial Budget additions. All input received from the tool, at the budget hearings, or by contacting the Budget and Research Department directly at budget.research@phoenix.gov or by calling (602) 262-4800 will be provided to the City Council, so they may consider your feedback prior to adopting the budget. In-Person Community Hearings The City of Phoenix is holding 11 budget hearings including one bilingual community-wide hearing and community-wide hearings for youth and arts. Hearing schedule: <ul> <li>District 6, Monday, April 3, at 8:30 a.m. Devonshire Senior Center, Multipurpose Room 2802 E Devonshire Avenue </li> <li>District 2 and 3, Monday, April 3, at 6 p.m. Paradise Valley Community Center Multipurpose Room 17402 N 40th Street </li> <li>District 3, Tuesday, April 4, at 8:30 a.m. Shadow Mountain Senior Center 3546 E Sweetwater Avenue </li> <li>District 5, Tuesday, April 4, at 6:00 p.m. Washington Activity Center, Building B Multipurpose Room 2240 W Citrus Way </li> <li>District 1, Thursday, April 6, at 8:30 a.m. Cholla Library 10050 N Metro Parkway E </li> <li>Bilingual Community-wide, Monday, April 10, at 6:00 p.m. Maryvale Community Center Multipurpose Room 4420 N 51st Avenue </li> <li>District 7, Tuesday, April 11, at 8:30 a.m. Desert West Community Center 6501 W Virginia Avenue </li> <li>Youth Community-wide, Tuesday, April 11, at 6:00 p.m. Central High School Student Union 4525 N Central Avenue </li> <li>District 4, Wednesday, April 12, at 6:00 p.m. Steele Indian School Park, Memorial Hall 300 E Indian School Road </li> <li>District 8, Thursday, April 13, at 6:00 p.m. South Phoenix Youth Center 5245 S 7th Street </li> <li>Arts Community-wide, Saturday, April 15, at 10:00 a.m. South Mountain Community College, Library Community Room 7050 S 24th Street</li> </ul> The hearings will broadcast live on the City of Phoenix’s YouTube page. Learn more at <a style="color:rgb(30, 81, 136);" tabindex="0" href="https://phoenix.gov/budget/hearings" data-cke-saved-href="https://phoenix.gov/budget/hearings" target="_blank">phoenix.gov/budget/hearings</a>. </html></div>

https://www.phoenix.gov/budget

News

budget-and-research

Phoenix City Hall in Downtown Phoenix

Budget

Adam Waltz

602-781-1334

602-534-6648

adam.waltz@phoenix.gov

cityofphoenixaz

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