We want you to have a say about what Prop 457 could mean to you. Please feel free to enter your comments as well. But please be aware that all comments will be moderated and refused or edited due to inflammatory or other objectionable language.
Vote No on Prop 457! The outside special interest would have you believe that this temporary sales tax is needed to pay the Arena Management Lease Agreement, which is not accurate. What is also not accurate is that this temporary sales tax will be reversed by passing this proposition.
The way the proposition was written, it doesn’t reverse any sales tax. What it does do is handcuff city council’s ability to raise taxes without the tax being voted on by the people. The city council has not abused its power to tax the citizens of Glendale. In fact the temporary .7 cent tax increase is the first one approved since 1993
Bill Eikost
Outside special interests would have you believe that this temporary sales tax is needed to pay the Arena Management Lease Agreement for Jobing.com Arena, which NOT true.
What Prop 457 does do however; is handcuff the City Council’s ability to raise taxes by making all increases going before the electorate. This change to the city charter makes it difficult if not impossible for the City Council to ensure that the citizens of Glendale are able to maintain the level of services and public safety that they currently enjoy.
For the current fiscal year, the city of Glendale had an estimated 32 million dollar deficit. Several months ago, the Council approved $10 million in cuts. Any additional cuts would seriously impact services the Council deemed a priority, including police and fire, so it was decided that a temporary tax was needed.
That is what a responsible city council must do to protect its citizens. The ability to raise revenues via sales tax is an essential responsibility that we charge council members with when we vote them into office. The ability to act quickly in times of budget emergencies is essential for a well-run city. To make all tax increases go before the public can take months and require the city to make drastic cuts in essential personnel and service before a financial solution can be put into place.
The City Council has never abused its power to tax the citizens of Glendale, in fact the temporary .7 cent tax increase is the first one approved by council since 1993.
That is why I urge you to vote no on Prop 457.
Lawrence Feiner
At a recent Glendale City Council meeting, an energetic citizen stood before the council and said, “Please, do not silence the happiness of the children in the park.”
He was referring to the horrible situation of Glendale possibly having to eliminate the city’s festivals. Those special events, like Glendale Glitters and the Chocolate Affaire, have been a part of the lives of thousands of families for decades.
The events are just one item on a massive list of citywide cuts that could take place if the city loses the money generated by the current temporary sales tax increase.
Some of those cuts include police officers and firefighters. Yes, you read that right. For the first time in our city’s history, we may have to do the unthinkable and lay off the very people who are committed to protecting our city. This list includes non-sworn staff such as Community Action Teams (CAT), DARE and GREAT officers, as well as fire educators who teach in Glendale schools.
Libraries could be completely closed, parks will have minimal maintenance, the city’s TV station could go dark and never show a council meeting again and 249 positions could be eliminated. It’s hard to imagine, isn’t it? To echo the citizen at the meeting, sadly, there could be a lot of silence.
As a councilmember who voted in favor of the temporary sales tax increase, my position hasn’t changed. Due to the recession, we all have had to look at doing business differently. Fortunately, due to sound financial planning, we had a large rainy day fund which helped us these last few years, but it’s been depleted. Glendale hasn’t had a rate adjustment since 1993. The intent of the temporary tax adjustment is to generate revenue for just the next five years. What Glendale did by temporarily increasing the sales tax rate was exactly what dozens of other Arizona cities already did. Even the state of Arizona temporarily increased the sales tax.
Glendale has been reducing expenses for years – slashing departmental budgets by 25 percent, cutting the city workforce by 22 percent, and enforcing mandatory employee furloughs saving $5.5 million.
The city’s commitment to build Jobing.com Arena comes with a price tag and an obligation for Glendale to fund the operation and maintenance of the building. While most know, I am in support of the Coyotes; I’m also in favor of reworking the city’s financial obligation for that building. I’m hopeful that’s going to happen.
Whether or not you support the arena or the tax, the temporary sales tax increase is necessary to provide the things you count on for safety, service and quality of life.
A question many constituents and downtown business owners have asked me is just how much will this new temporary tax cost me? If you spend $50, the temporary increase is only 35 cents more. Spend $100 and you’ll pay an additional 70 cents. That’s it. We’re talking nickels and dimes. It’s a small amount to keep from silencing the entire city. Please stand with us and Vote NO on 457!
Yvonne Knaack – from the Glendale Star, used with permission from CM Knaack.
For the past few weeks, I have attended several public meetings that have discussed Glendale’s temporary sales tax increase. I am optimistic about the support for the temporary increase and the overall citizen engagement. While the ballot language can be complex and confusing, let me simplify: If you vote no, Glendale city services and programs will remain basically the same, including the current sales tax rate. If you vote yes, there will be severe cuts to service and programs and drastic cuts to police, fire, the libraries, parks and downtown events. Please join us and vote no on Proposition 457.
Councilmember Yvonne Knaack
As a 27 year city employee (Library Director), I am sickened that the City of Glendale will have to reduce uniformed and civillian police and fire personnel. Parks and libraries will operate at a substandard level—we will be lucky if only Velma teague and Foothills are closed. Parks and libraries have never received the attention of our Mayor and most elected officials who have been focused on the highest level of sports facilities.
Save quality services in Glendale.
Please vote NO on prop 457.
Rodeane Widom
Prop 457 Will Kill Glendale
There are only two facts in the Proposition 457 campaign. The first is that if the sales tax enacted by the Glendale City Council is repealed, the City of Glendale will cease to exist as we know it. Parks will close, libraries will close, children will lose after-school care and public safety will suffer.
The second fact is that people shop where they live. People don’t drive five miles out of their way to another city to save 35 cents on $50 worth of groceries. That’s a counterintuitive scare tactic being used by people opposing the tax. People spend the majority of their income in their own neighborhoods.
Save Glendale Now supporting Prop 457 is a select few wealthy business owners who are upset at the way the City of Glendale has managed its finances. I don’t blame them for being upset. But is destroying our community, the very one that they rely on for the patrons for their business, the way to go about punishing the city council? Is driving residents out of Glendale a solution to their frustration, or will it merely make things worse?
I scoff at the inference in their full page ad in the Oct. 11 edition that “Employee Pension/Benefits” have cost the City “Multi Millions” and the benefit is “?” The benefit is that Glendale is what it is today because of the hard work of its public employees, who, if the committee did their job, would realize are not overpaid or over-benefited. As a matter of fact, minus a handful of anomalies, the employees of the City of Glendale are some of the hardest-working, underpaid in the Valley.
A no vote on Prop. 457 will save the City of Glendale, the city that Save Glendale Now supporting Prop. 457 would like to destroy.
Jay O’Neill
Conservative, but opposed to Prop. 457
As a conservative Republican, I am usually 100 percent for cutting budgets and lowering the tax burden on our citizens. With that in mind, I normally would come out in favor of a proposition such as Prop. 457. It is my belief that cutting our budget and lowering the amount of taxes that our citizens and businesses pay is the best and most proven method of spurring economic growth.
That being said, I am totally opposed to the Glendale Prop. 457. I have had the chance to do quite a bit of volunteer work with employees of the City of Glendale. The dedication the majority of our city employees have to the citizens of Glendale is second to none. During my recent run for Mayor of Glendale, I said then, and continue to say that balancing the budget on the backs of our police and firefighters is wrong, and should never be tolerated by citizens of Glendale. Any planning that places our trusted public servants’ lives in jeopardy cannot be allowed to stand.
Our police officers and firefighters have some of the most dangerous jobs around. They work long hours, and risk their lives on a daily basis to protect the citizens of Glendale. They do these jobs because they love what they do, they love to be there when something happens to protect others and save lives.
Prop. 457 will cut the budget of the police and fire departments, requiring them to cut the majority of the non- sworn employees. Most people believe non-sworn employees are not the ones who protect them; they are wrong. These are the people you see at City of Glendale events teaching things like CPR, fire safety, drowning awareness and vehicle etching. Without these people, police officers and firefighters on the street will not be able to provide these services. Programs such as neighborhood watch will disappear in Glendale.
I have had the chance to work with our police chief and fire chief, and we are extremely lucky to have competent individuals in each of these positions to provide leadership to their respective departments. These are people whose only goal each day when they go to work is to do an even better job of protecting our citizens.
I am a sports fan, and a hockey fan. I love being able to drive just a few miles and see a game. My problem with the Coyotes is the fact the City of Glendale is willing to give the new owner nearly $200 million to keep the team in Glendale. We as citizens cannot afford to give the new prospective owners the amount of money they are demanding to keep the team in Glendale.
I ask my fellow citizens of Glendale to vote no on Prop. 457, and ensure that there are no further cuts to our police and fire departments. Let’s protect those who protect us, and ensure that they have the support and tools that they need to keep us safe.
Arthur D. Swander
Camelback Ranch-Glendale’s Real Budget Monster
There has been a lot of press with respect to the City of Glendale and its budget problems. Much of the chatter centers around Westgate. I believe the real budget nightmare is being overlooked.
Westgate has the potential to be the economic driver of the entertainment district. It continues to grow with the new outlet mall about to open. An improving economy will be a huge help also. It is very important that the city work to retain its primary tenant in the Phoenix Coyotes. You simply cannot fill the arena with concerts and trade shows.
The real budget monster in Glendale is Camelback Ranch. This is a $200 million spring training facility that Glendale built inside the City of Phoenix. It will never ever generate tax revenue to pay its way. Any sales tax generated goes to Phoenix. When the facility was conceived, our leaders did not put any revenue agreements in place with Phoenix.
The solution to our budget mess is simple…… Unload this facility. Sell it to the sports authority. Sell it to Phoenix…. Might be a tough sell, they already get the tax dollars with no investment. Sell it to the LA Dodgers and/or the Chicago White Sox. Or, simply let it go. This is a budget buster waiting to blow up. I am not sure why our city leaders ever bought Ed Beasley’s sales pitch and got involved with building inside the City of Phoenix……. But get rid of Camelback Ranch.
Edwin V. Nyberg