Avondale staff outlines $68M parks and $55M public-safety bond propositions for November mail ballot

Assistant City Manager Katie Gregory told the City of Avondale Planning Commission on May 21 that the city will place two general obligation bond questions on the November special election ballot: Proposition 404, a $68 million authorization for parks, trails and library improvements; and Proposition 405, a $55 million authorization for public safety projects.

Gregory said the City Council unanimously approved forwarding the two questions to voters after recommendations from a seven-member citizens bond committee that met last year. "This fall, we will be holding a special election. The city council has approved for the, for us to forward 2 questions to our voters," Gregory said.

The propositions, she said, were structured so the city would not increase its property tax rate to accommodate the debt. "What we're sharing ... is that it will not require a future increase to our secondary property tax rate or the city's property tax rate," Gregory said. The ballot will be vote-by-mail; ballots will be sent beginning Oct. 8, and staff recommended mailing ballots by Oct. 28 or dropping them off at City Hall by Nov. 4.

Nut graf: The two propositions would fund a mix of capital projects the city said are aimed at improving resident access to recreation and public safety infrastructure without raising the city's property-tax rate. If voters approve, the city plans to issue general obligation bonds and sell them with strong ratings the city said should produce lower interest costs.

Details of Proposition 404 (parks, trails and libraries): Gregory outlined proposed uses in the parks and trails package, including new and expanded shade structures at parks; park amenity and parking improvements (examples named include Lucas Park, Fred Campbell Park and Friendship Park); trail connections along the Agua Fria and Gila corridors; pedestrian bridges and underpasses at major road crossings; and refresh work at the Civic Center Library. She said park-shade improvements were the top request in polling and that the proposal would pay for design, construction, improvement and acquisition related to these assets.

Details of Proposition 405 (public safety): The public-safety proposition would fund construction, equipment and improvements for fire and police facilities and court facilities. Gregory listed projects the bond would target: a Southern Avondale fire station and a police substation, a new consolidated public-safety headquarters, a police firearms training facility, and build-outs/expansions of the main police station and the city court to accommodate growth.

Financial and procedural context: Gregory said the figures ($68 million and $55 million) reflect debt levels the city can issue without increasing the property-tax rate, noting the city has low existing debt per capita and strong bond ratings. "This is the first time we've been a AAA rated community," she said, adding that a high rating would help the city obtain lower interest rates when issuing bonds. She also described the citys mix of prior funding sources (cash, impact fees and other revenues) and said the council wanted to avoid raising tax rates.

Public outreach and next steps: Gregory said a citizens bond committee and polling informed the package and invited commissioners to direct questions to staff or to the bond website, www.avondaleaz.gov/bond. She closed by encouraging participation in the vote but did not advocate for a particular outcome: "I can't tell you how to vote. I just would love it if you would all vote and if you would tell everyone to vote."