[{"_1":2,"_110":-5,"_111":-5},"loaderData",{"_3":4,"_26":27},"root",{"_5":6,"_17":10,"_18":19,"_20":21,"_22":10,"_23":-5,"_24":-5,"_25":10},"user",{"_7":8,"_9":10,"_11":10,"_12":-5,"_13":-5,"_14":15,"_16":-5},"roles",[],"isAuthenticated",false,"isPremium","planName","subscriptionStatus","featureFlags",{},"insightsBudget","isDevelopmentHost","userPreferences",{},"recaptchaSiteKey","6LcvOJcUAAAAAHsB-gPGfGktcRlKpH7OTIU_dMTD","isImpersonating","impersonation","affiliateStatus","isFreedomPortal","routes/v2/article/layout",{"_28":29,"_30":31},"notFound",true,"relatedArticles",[32,74,86,98],{"_33":34,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":40,"_41":42,"_43":44,"_45":44,"_46":47,"_48":49,"_50":51,"_52":53,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":59,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":65,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},"mediaId",6099120,"mediaKeyId","2821319-705edd19321fdb472f6a489a20a2a299","parentId",2821319,"title","Peoria staff outline multi-year fee review; development fees modeled for a roughly 15% increase to reach cost recovery","audioSeconds",0,"startMs",8415000,"endMs","viewUrl","/Search/View?dp=1&key=2821319-705edd19321fdb472f6a489a20a2a299&start=8415&end=8415","thumbnailUrl","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2821319-705edd19321fdb472f6a489a20a2a299/thumbnail_8415000.jpg","articleUrl","/articles/6099120/Peoria/Maricopa-County/Arizona/Peoria-staff-outline-multi-year-fee-review-development-fees-modeled-for-a-roughly-15-increase-to-reach-cost-recovery","mediaUrl","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6099120-c16223ccd40f7d5402e3ee7304ba8718/orig.mp4?Expires=1771208727&Signature=gk1a9gs579--pQy8FtCggT4aLWERwl0xvfoL62XJ8fBIUHBltEYLsdzTW9sR70LGdqLu96J3oBLFtflwM-xUOmp9daf6PPCEYUbQL1e37UntSQbtUT8rHtDc1MhjwWR7eVaVhL9HPpti1JdaWOoafDqDHhInFBMquX8VBWWsLk59A5V5E58Kk3c5Fw3SZOW67Ylep-t9hGVptBwYHs3ZUhh5iPiaQkLK6h1~lPZUnUntrLveQ-4G2cmL7Ijhw5Hi8jk1-1aAlthUOTOjaOM0gsqF3wkj2VBE7R7zaoCC2HJYzIli~BQC7ECQ65PhHOzizS5XT1C~D2dT0SeY3Aufgw__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","author","Peoria County, AZ","date","2025-03-26T00:00:00Z","article","City staff detailed a planned multi‑year update to municipal fees, saying the administration will move to a rolling, three‑year review cycle and presented preliminary models that would change several development and program fees.

The approach and rationale
Staff said chapter 27 of Peoria’s code contains the city’s fee schedule and that the council’s two governing policies — Council Policy 1‑11 (community-benefit fee policy) and Council Policy 1‑12 (development services fee policy) — govern whether fees are set at partial or full cost recovery. Staff told council many fees have not been updated in years and that inflation, higher operating costs and new program responsibilities now justify a comprehensive review.

A staff model circulated during the session used three years of historical revenues and costs, added projected staffing and overhead (including a newly wrapped position to support permitting software) and then calculated the percentage change required to restore prior net positions. In an example for building permits staff showed a calculation that produced a draft recommendation near a 15% increase to return to historical break‑even.

Staff described additional changes under review, including:
- Moving some department fees into a policy band that allows staff to set the actual fee within a percent recovery range and report those figures in the budget book;
- Replacing single‑percentage site‑development permit charges (current 3% of project value) with a tiered fee schedule for very large projects to avoid disproportionate charges on very high cost civil projects;
- Creating a new industrial pretreatment fee to fund the agency responsibilities of an industrial pretreatment program; and
- Reassessing records‑request and body‑camera redaction fees to reflect actual staff costs.

Public process and next steps
Staff said it will finalize the fee forecast, conduct sensitivity analysis (comparing peer cities), post public notice for 60 days and present recommended code and fee changes for council approval. If adopted, staff will implement the new fees concurrent with the adopted budget and supporting ordinances.

Ending
Council members asked for clarifications on specific fee impacts and staff said the projections remain model‑based until the full sensitivity and peer comparison work is complete. Staff emphasized the intention to align fees with cost recovery policies and to avoid pricing Peoria out of the market for large development projects.","mediaType","Video","parentTitle","City Council Budget Study Session - 03/26/2025","oneSentenceSummary","Staff told council it is updating development and department fees in a rolling three‑year schedule and presented a preliminary model that would raise some building and site fees to recover program costs; staff proposed a tiered approach for large site-development permits and new industrial pretreatment fees.","taxTitle","Peoria, Maricopa County, Arizona","taxId",2565,"location","headline","","shortSummary",{"_33":75,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":76,"_41":77,"_43":78,"_45":79,"_46":80,"_48":81,"_50":82,"_52":83,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":84,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":85,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},6099125,"Peoria unveils Peoria Innovation Corps infrastructure plan; staff outline well program, reclaimed water expansion and advanced purification study",4550,2230000,6780000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2821319-705edd19321fdb472f6a489a20a2a299&start=2230&end=6780","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2821319-705edd19321fdb472f6a489a20a2a299/thumbnail_2230000.jpg","/articles/6099125/Peoria/Maricopa-County/Arizona/Peoria-unveils-Peoria-Innovation-Corps-infrastructure-plan-staff-outline-well-program-reclaimed-water-expansion-and-advanced-purification-study","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6099125-196d91487d8f747ad19356d3ba31105e/orig.mp4?Expires=1771208727&Signature=YErJf97yF3Ooy4G0GSDNUBxmyesqFUmF-2MvnOlQXjTtSz5yG45DsdWfM~AFdDmnuYiLG4o4z~CBA71jcKeTGhZ~DPA80PQN2X1PJiYrR9JXgxBQPqR4pbrznBgSxvLoaACsWNTrqBTUr9JZAOV3IXgl5yhGGjqQ8OSsqZdgb4vTkWaXjXgtK2p61u16D~N7NB5IChvM0qgFKpR9H93Eip4JWWZPBn2ciuZoAv1sZ0dORBtuV2ShrhTSZ64dq8w61VYVucztFWjVk4oKdnC4JftDe09KhVe8QG3x9ezic0G-ImfJFYZaUWRqgvDhND8kNYjNPlM3ydB9kbX1IS7dVA__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City staff laid out the first phase of the Peoria Innovation Corps (PIC) infrastructure plan and related water-security projects during the FY2026 budget study session, describing a cluster of road, utility and water projects intended to enable growth on state land and to increase Peoria’s long-term water resilience.

Planned PIC projects and schedule
Staff highlighted the next 24–36 months of PIC work: construction-ready design for Lake Pleasant Parkway with a new bridge across the Beardsley Canal, Ashlar Hills roadway and utility construction, initial work on 90th Avenue alignment and a sewer conveyance trunk that will connect new northern development to the Beardsley Wastewater Reclamation Facility. The city said much of the engineering for the first-phase roadway and utility work is already well advanced and scheduled for design completion in the spring, with land acquisition and construction targets beginning in mid‑2026.

Water security measures: wells and reclaimed water
Staff described a multi-pronged approach to water security: a large well program (test and production wells near the CAP corridor and at spots west of Loop 303); reclaimed water loops that connect the Beardsley and Jo-MaX plants; and a package of booster pump stations and conveyance work to ensure redundancy should allocations change.

City staff noted a rule of thumb estimate: a newly constructed well typically costs about $6,000,000 all‑in. The program presented the near‑term planning and land‑acquisition funding, with many individual well construction costs to be programmed as projects are finalized.

Advanced water purification: feasibility and scale
Staff said they are commissioning a feasibility study to evaluate advanced water purification (AWP) — the treatment of reclaimed water to potable quality — and said the city has placed a placeholder in the CIP. The presentation included a staff note that the placeholder ($165 million in the CIP) is likely a small fraction of the total capital cost: staff estimated AWP — including conveyance, treatment and integration — could ultimately reach $1.2–$1.5 billion depending on chosen technologies and system scope.

Why it matters
Staff framed the PIC and water investments as foundational for long-term growth and for securing potable water in a region that faces Colorado River allocation uncertainty. The city emphasized multi-year timing: much design work is already underway, but construction and full operations would occur over several budget cycles and would rely on combinations of debt, PAYGO, impact fees, transportation sales tax and outside funding.

Ending
Staff asked council to review the phased program and noted that additional land acquisitions, interagency agreements and grant opportunities will be required as projects move from design to construction.","City staff described multi-year infrastructure work for the Peoria Innovation Corps (PIC) including Lake Pleasant Parkway, Ashlar Hills and sewer conveyance, a large well-drilling program, reclaimed-water loops, and early-stage advanced water purification study with multi-hundred-million-dollar to potential billion-dollar costs.",{"_33":87,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":88,"_41":89,"_43":90,"_45":91,"_46":92,"_48":93,"_50":94,"_52":95,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":96,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":97,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},6099128,"Police, fire ask for more staff and specialized roles in FY2026 budget presentations",2010,5960000,7970000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2821319-705edd19321fdb472f6a489a20a2a299&start=5960&end=7970","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2821319-705edd19321fdb472f6a489a20a2a299/thumbnail_5960000.jpg","/articles/6099128/Peoria/Maricopa-County/Arizona/Police-fire-ask-for-more-staff-and-specialized-roles-in-FY2026-budget-presentations","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6099128-8b2ded489f5c2c2e9ff8ab9f5e464f9d/orig.mp4?Expires=1771208727&Signature=fOniEG1wyESpxJYrFLsViAt4H-OFzcnpunulv8S4-SILjhmJ~zFZfWJaKhjnf6hpmIi7qryg7ZCdiv3w-0v~FO5o38~vK3raXCa-5NTowpNa8qzJCPNrSaVyYxPM8oS-uZhUKPR-7AzZPKF7aBB8JUeXECPE-lgx8MGH~G5kS4d5O5b6FS0XQbP5xgaYNGD5oEGrBHb4kgAhZdFMYYaoB89AXfMfKP2aNPNMBR0jHnThy7YBTDMQ8tNsZd1n-50OetZgNQkgeAgVz1BS4j9K~RHnriZOEEMFxnn45LsiP4a4EaSUQ4z9OesH4n3XaSxoCgxBZ5kdKsHEV2hEdEKB4A__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","Peoria public safety leaders used the budget study session to lay out staffing and equipment requests in the FY2026 proposal, describing a mix of sworn and civilian positions intended to expand specialized capabilities and relieve operational pressure.

Police: staffing for specialized units
The police department’s FY2026 request includes multiple specialized positions and civilian roles. Staff said the department would be at 375 full-time equivalent positions if the budget is adopted. The presentation described 12 requested positions for the coming year, including aviation support roles (a Bell helicopter mechanic and an aviation administrative assistant), additional school liaison and school resource officer coverage, and two civilian investigators to help staff the Real Time Crime Center.

“These 2 are again, these are 2 positions that we would like to, use to staff the real time crime center,” the police chief said, describing the civilian investigator hires as a way to allow experienced non-sworn staff to monitor digital feeds and free sworn officers for field duties.

Police also requested a wellness sergeant and a civilian wellness coordinator to run an expanded wellness and career-development program, and additional administrative and property/evidence staff to support rising workloads tied to property and impound operations. The police budget presented for FY2026 was $88,400,000, with personnel comprising roughly 78% of the department’s total spending.

Fire and emergency medical: MR units, training and continuing buildout
Fire officials asked for nine new FTEs in the proposed budget, which would increase the department to about 270 FTEs. The department proposed expanding medical response units (MRUs) to increase 7‑day coverage in high-demand parts of the city; staff said the MRUs had improved response reliability in pilot schedules and that the new positions would allow a second MRU to run more consistently.

“MRUs have shown that that has increased the reliability for them to get to the calls in the South,” Fire Chief Bernard said.

Fire also requested conversion of a fixed-term training chief into a permanent FTE to expand live-fire and night training capacity and to sustain recruit and promotional training schedules. Staff noted the department’s recent ability to staff a new station earlier in the process had reduced overtime and allowed additional paramedic training.

Equipment and facilities
Both departments highlighted equipment and facility needs: police asked to fund a second Bell 505 helicopter for aviation operations (procurement planned in FY26 for delivery in FY27) and upgrades to police meeting and training rooms and tactical robots funded by RICO/forfeiture dollars. Fire noted procurement and replacement of ambulances and rescue apparatus, and the city described planning for additional fire station sites in the northern area as growth continues.

Process and next steps
Public safety staffing requests were presented for council consideration as part of the broader budget package. Staff said the department hires and capital procurements would be phased consistent with the proposed appropriations and with additional cost and schedule details forthcoming as parts of the budget and capital improvement plan are finalized.

Ending
Council members pressed chiefs on timelines for facility siting and recruitment/retention strategies; chiefs described recruitment bonuses, specialty assignment incentives, a wellness and career-development program, and hybrid staffing models for specialties such as aviation that would rotate patrol officers into specialty duty.","Public safety leaders sought additional sworn and civilian positions in the FY2026 proposal, including aviation mechanics and behavioral wellness staff for police and additional medical-response staffing and training support for fire.",{"_33":99,"_35":36,"_37":38,"_39":100,"_41":101,"_43":102,"_45":103,"_46":104,"_48":105,"_50":106,"_52":107,"_54":55,"_56":57,"_58":108,"_60":61,"_62":63,"_64":109,"_66":67,"_68":69,"_70":67,"_71":72,"_73":72},6099133,"Peoria staff present $1.17 billion FY2026 proposed budget with focus on capital projects and stability",117,1959000,2076000,"/Search/View?dp=1&key=2821319-705edd19321fdb472f6a489a20a2a299&start=1959&end=2076","https://assets.pipeline.soar.com/2821319-705edd19321fdb472f6a489a20a2a299/thumbnail_1959000.jpg","/articles/6099133/Peoria/Maricopa-County/Arizona/Peoria-staff-present-117-billion-FY2026-proposed-budget-with-focus-on-capital-projects-and-stability","https://secure.pipeline.soar.com/6099133-0d7705ce9440b16a2c72f61b6f0ab2d3/orig.mp4?Expires=1771208727&Signature=fnuoHcJITDofUeyhKiCGIvkakIKeFHwZVUS59l0x6dxm0mAh7DioBoeHpmjEcSFMZVotdsKx2F~JCkTeHjbm0wKe-MeK55w8qL6XCB8ztC69-Uaic1ewr8ZZFeivl1ybsWKuEiO8peRq0ijVIbzdeYRlUOLrw9rj12ZAeVCrtfB5h3ZFRvDiXLDCCb0LPprcmX02NaDHGYzqfVbPJdjOI5tdDSzHIVMclB1-RxaSwt10gGGCaI0gjgOENYnLoBvWtuX~xtA50VIE7FT8fmY~dz~4RCdECFkCrTKJsIr3YDLDjwPj-4gapZGvJon58qlXvdbNrXwPS1CuenMNHSzpLQ__&Key-Pair-Id=KUT5TJCACFTXG","City staff on the dais presented a proposed fiscal year 2026 budget totaling $1,170,000,000, an 18% increase over FY2025, driven largely by a larger capital program, the city said.

The proposed budget would fund a $550,200,000 capital program (about 47% of the total) and an operating budget of $478,200,000, up 4.2% over the prior year, staff said. Debt service and contingency account for the remainder; staff reported a contingency increase of about $35,360,000 to cover economic development uncertainties.

The finance overview put the capital carryover and an expanded list of construction projects at the center of the increase: carried-over capital and a construction-heavy FY2026 are expected to raise capital spending by roughly 27% over last year. “This budget complies with our council adopted principles of sound financial management in every way,” staff member Peter said during the presentation.

Why it matters: staff framed the proposal as a balanced spending plan that aims to preserve the city’s financial metrics while beginning multi-year investments — principally infrastructure and growth-related capital — that will shape Peoria’s service delivery and development patterns in the coming years.

Key details
- Total proposed budget: $1,170,000,000 (FY2026). Current FY2025 budget cited: $995,000,000. (18% increase.)
- Capital program: $550,200,000 (47% of total); capital carryover accounts for a large share of the total.
- Operating budget: $478,200,000 (41% of total); operating growth ~4.2%, with most growth in personnel and benefits.
- Contingency: increased by $35,360,000 to provide flexibility for anticipated economic development costs.
- Debt: ongoing general obligation and revenue bond plans were noted; about 44% of capital program expected to be financed through debt mechanisms, with remaining funding from PAYGO and outside sources.

Process and schedule
Staff outlined a schedule that keeps council on a standard adoption timeline: tentative budget adoption is targeted for the council meeting on May 6, followed by public hearings on utility rates, truth in taxation and the final budget. Property taxes and final levy adoption are expected in June, ahead of the July 1 start of the fiscal year. Staff also noted a built-in opportunity for council members to propose “adds” and “deletes” offline with staff before final adoption.

Budget priorities and pressures
Staff said inflation (labor, electricity, fuel, materials) and escalating capital costs — and vendor warnings about possible tariffs — have been factored into the proposal. Employee compensation, including negotiated increases with labor groups and a mid-single- to low-double-digit influence from benefits and health insurance, accounts for a substantial share of operating increases. Staff also described identification of $738,000 in ongoing general fund savings and ongoing monthly internal reviews to find additional efficiencies.

What’s next and unanswered questions
Council will have through May to propose adjustments; staff said modifications will be evaluated for fiscal impact and fit within the city’s adopted financial principles. The presentation did not include final council votes; staff emphasized the plan remains a proposed/tentative budget pending the formal actions that follow the public hearings.

Ending: Staff closed by stressing the package is proposed, not final, and invited council to submit planned modifications before the tentative adoption step. The council scheduled additional budget sessions if needed to complete the process.","City staff presented a proposed FY2026 budget totaling $1.17 billion, driven by a larger capital program and modest operating growth. Staff said the plan preserves the city’s financial principles, raises contingency levels for economic development, and begins a public process for final adoption in May and June.","actionData","errors"]

Article not found

Peoria staff outline multi-year fee review; development fees modeled for a roughly 15% increase to reach cost recovery

Peoria unveils Peoria Innovation Corps infrastructure plan; staff outline well program, reclaimed water expansion and advanced purification study

Police, fire ask for more staff and specialized roles in FY2026 budget presentations

Peoria staff present $1.17 billion FY2026 proposed budget with focus on capital projects and stability