HomeMy WebLinkAboutRe: Budget Tool - Example from Phoenix
Mike Plane
From:Spencer Cutler
Sent:Saturday, April 27, 2024 12:00
To:Trevor
Subject:Re: Budget Tool - Example from Phoenix
Hello Trevor,
I’m replying to let you know that I received your email and I will take your comments under
advisement. Please be aware that I do my best to listen to residents’ concerns, but there are tens of
thousands of residents and stakeholders in our community, with wildly different opinions and priorities.
The budget tool looks interesting except maybe very limited? It seems like it’s only gathering input for
priorities to spend a surplus amount. Perhaps they haven’t completed it yet.
One thing that did catch my attention is that Phoenix’ tax rate is as much as 2.7 times higher that Twin
Falls’. Their website says the rate for primary properties is $1.2989 per $100 (or $12.989 per
thousand). Twin Falls was $4.78 per thousand last year. I don’t know if Phoenix offers more services or
not, but 2.7 times the cost is an extreme difference. Twin Falls residents simply couldn’t bare that tax
burden.
Twin Falls uses a long-term strategic plan to set budget priorities. We will begin the process of updating
it again this year. We engage Twin Falls residents through many meetings and open houses over several
months in order to capture the community’s priorities. Our adopted budgets and future recommended
budgets are posted on the website. They are in an easy to read format, and downloadable pdf for those
who would like to keep a copy offline.
You requested a full time traffic engineer, we actually have two full time traffic technicians plus four fully-
licensed engineers that work with the technicians.
Most residents have indicated to me that they want more funding for police and more prosecution of
crime. There are various organizations and guidelines that provide recommendations for police staffing
levels in a community; all of them indicate we are understaffed. Your email is the first I’ve received
indicating a desire for less funding to police and legal. I will take note of your concerns, however, and if
more residents begin to express the same concerns I am listening.
Urban Renewal has been an amazing success for Twin Falls. It has taken properties that generated very
little property tax and turned them in to developed properties that generate huge amounts of revenue for
the city. The URA does not take funding from infrastructure. It borrows money from lenders outside of
the city’s funds and uses tax increment revenue to pay back the funds. Once the debts are paid, that
revenue goes straight to the city. URA has been a vehicle to greatly improve our infrastructure. Without
it, there are properties that would still likely be unimproved and generating little revenue because there
was no developer or company that could afford to improve the property otherwise.
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Improving right-of-ways and accessibility is a top priority for us. We’ve done a great job with the
resources we have. I’m aware several emails have gone back and forth among you, city council, and city
staff. I feel like you’re not acknowledging some of the information that has been shared with you.
Water sustainability is another huge priority for us. And I’m well acquainted with Gary Haderly and Rob
Bohling. I work with them because of my responsibilities on City Council, but beyond that, I’ve worked
with them in various professional capacities for over fifteen years.
Thank you for your thoughts,
Spencer Cutler
Spencer
From: Trevor <trevorroot@gmail.com>
Sent: Thursday, April 25, 2024 9:48:13 AM
To: Spencer Cutler <scutler@tfid.org>
Subject: Budget Tool - Example from Phoenix
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Spencer,
The City of Phoenix created this online budget tool. I think it was
helpful. If you'd like, I can probably talk to some friends to get you
in touch with the Phoenix staff that created it. You're welcome to
bring it up as your own idea and I'll let you run with it. I doubt it
would be hard for staff to re-create it. I don't think it's running
yet for 2024, but some of the documentation shows how it will work
once they build in categories.
https://www.phoenix.gov/budget/fund
I'd personally recommend that city right-of-ways brought to ADA code
at a minimum, bicycle and pedestrian prioritization, and a focus on
water system sustainability. Rob Bohling and Gary Haderlie know far
more than I do on the current water system concerns. Sutherland Wyatt
(CPR Physical Therapy and Amazing Grace church) is a great person to
talk to about bicycle paths. I have reasons to believe the legal and
police departments are over-funded. I'd rather see a full time Traffic
Engineer at the City to save lives and mitigate legal risk than any
amount of funding to a criminal enforcement side that wastes
resources. I'd also be concerned that Urban Renewal funds are
siphoning funds from infrastructure. This is a great listen on audible
about the dangers of TIFs (URAs): Ben Joravsky Talks about
Tax-Increment Financing.
Thanks,
Trevor Root
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