Blog Archives
City of Phoenix Announces Security Changes for Council Meetings
[Source: City of Phoenix Press Release]
The city of Phoenix will implement new security procedures for the public attending City Council meetings held in the Council Chambers, located at 200 W. Jefferson St.
A metal detector (magnetometer) has been installed and a bag-checking station will be staffed by police officers. Per state law, weapons of any kind are not allowed in government buildings. The change in security will take effect Tuesday, Feb. 15.
Phoenix is following the lead and adopting similar security measures of other Valley cities, including Tempe, Surprise and Mesa. Residents attending Council meetings are kindly asked to arrive with enough time to get through security.
City of Phoenix Meetings and Events, Jan 24-30th
[Source: City of Phoenix Public information Office, 602-262-7176
Monday, Jan. 24
Bus Service Changes go into effect
Check valleymetro.org or call Valley Metro Customer Service at 602-253-5000
Tuesday, Jan. 25
10. a.m. City Council Public Safety and Veterans Subcommittee
Phoenix City Hall, 12th floor, City Council Subcommittee Room, 200 W. Washington St.,
Stephanie Ribodal Romero, 602-261-8512
2 p.m. Phoenix City Council Work Study Session
Phoenix City Hall, 12th Floor, City Council Subcommittee Room, 200 W. Washington St.,
Stephanie Ribodal Romero, 602-261-8512
5:30 – 7 p.m. College Depot Workshop
“Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) Lab and Workshop,”
Burton Barr Central Library, 1221 N. Central Ave.,
Rita Marko, 602-534-2025
6 p.m. Alhambra Village Planning Committee
Washington Activity Center, 2240 W. Citrus Way,
Michael Hammett, 602-495-5405
Wednesday, Jan. 26
6 – 7 p.m. College Depot Workshop
“It’s Not Too Early to Plan for College: 7th and 8th Graders,”
Burton Barr Central Library, 1221 N. Central Ave.,
Rita Marko, 602-534-2025
The meetings listed here are accurate as of Friday, Jan. 21. For possible changes and additional city meetings, visit phoenix.gov/publicmeetings.
City of Phoenix Meetings and Events, Nov 15th – 21st
Here’s this week’s list of downtown and central Phoenix related meetings and events hosted by the City of Phoenix:
Monday, Nov. 15
Construction Begins on Central Station, Bus stops relocated, $5 million ARRA project
Central Avenue and Van Buren Street
Marie Chapple, 602-261-8254
5:30 p.m. Public Meeting on Proposed Taxicab Ordinance
Steele Indian School Park, Memorial Hall, 300 E. Indian School Road
Marcie Colpas, 602-262-6164
Tuesday, Nov. 16
10 a.m. City Council Seniors, Families and Parks Subcommittee
Phoenix City Hall, 12th floor, City Council Subcommittee Room, 200 W. Washington St.
Alejandro Montiel, 602-261-8512
1 p.m. City Council Finance, Efficiency and Innovation Subcommittee
Phoenix City Hall, 12th floor, City Council Subcommittee Room, 200 W. Washington St.
Alejandro Montiel, 602-261-8512
4 – 5 p.m. College Depot Workshop, “College 101,”
Burton Barr Central Library, 1221 N. Central Ave., second floor,
Rita Marko, 602-534-2025
Wednesday, Nov. 17
9:30 a.m. Prescription Drug Discount Card Program Kickoff News Conference
Phoenix City Hall, 11th floor, Mayor’s Conference Room, 200 W. Washington St.
Jon Brodsky, 602-261-8980
3 p.m. City Council Formal Meeting
Phoenix City Council Chambers,200 W. Jefferson St.
Alejandro Montiel, 602-261-8512
6 p.m. Public Briefing on Status of Park Lee Apartments
Park Lee Apartment Clubhouse, 1600 West Highland Avenue
Lisa Hubbard, 602-348-0228
Friday, Nov. 19
Noon Faces of Diversity Brown Bag Series, “Thanksgiving: A Cornucopia of Faiths”
Phoenix City Council Chambers, 200 W. Jefferson St.
Marcie Colpas, 602-262-6164
Saturday, Nov. 20
8:30 a.m. – 4 p.m. Healing Racism Series, “Uncovering Racial Perspectives: A Day-long Exploration”
GateWay Community College, MA 1100 N and S, 108 N. 40th St.
Sina Matthes, 602-534-6648
2 – 3 p.m. College Depot Workshop, “Colegio” 101, in Spanish
Burton Barr Central Library, 1221 N. Central Ave., second floor
Rita Marko, 602-534-2025
The meetings listed in the calendar are accurate as of Friday, Nov. 12. For possible changes and additional city meetings, visit phoenix.gov/publicmeetings.
Mayor Asks for Citizen Input About Proposed Downtown Phoenix Dog Park
[Source: KPHO]
Mayor Phil Godon is calling on neighbors and businesses to weigh in on a potential dog park in downtown Phoenix.
Gordon said he’s not opposed to the idea of a dog park but doesn’t necessarily support some of the proposed sites.
He’s planning to create a citizens’ commitee and is asking for input from “urban core” residents and businesses owners with a stake in downtown.
Earlier this year, the city knocked down part of the old Sheraton hotel to build a parking lot. But some residents would rather see a dog park built on that site.
Because the city owns the land where the parking lot would be built, it stands to make a lot of money from it.
Those interested in a possible nomination to the citizens’ commitee should submit an application at http://phoenix.gov/EMAIL/appbdcom.html.
Editors Note:
- There will be a public hearing on the proposed dog park in front of the Phoenix Board of Adjustments TODAY at noon at City Council Chambers, 200 W Jefferson St.
- Also, you can sign an online petition in support of the proposed dog park HERE.
City of Phoenix Meetings and Events, Nov 1st – 7th
Here’s this week’s list of downtown and central Phoenix related meetings and events hosted by the City of Phoenix:
Monday, Nov. 1
6:15 p.m. Encanto Village Planning Committee
Phoenix College, Willo Conference Room, 3310 N. 10th Ave.
Michael Hammett, 602-495-5405
Tuesday, Nov. 2
5 – 6 p.m. College Depot Workshop, “SAT vs ACT: What is the Difference”
Burton Barr Central Library, 1221 N. Central Ave., second floor
Rita Marko, 602-534-2025
6 p.m. Camelback East Village Planning Committee
Devonshire Senior Center, 2802 E. Devonshire Ave.
Michael Hammett, 602-495-5405
Wednesday, Nov. 3
10 a.m. City Council Downtown, Aviation and Economy Subcommittee
Phoenix City Hall, 12th floor, City Council Subcommittee Room, 200 W. Washington St.
Alejandro Montiel, 602-261-8512
3 p.m. City Council Formal Meeting
City Council Chambers, 200 W. Jefferson St.
Alejandro Montiel, 602-262-8512
Thursday, Nov. 4
9 a.m. – noon Fair Housing Workshop
Phoenix City Hall, assembly room D, 200 W. Washington St.
Marcie Colpas, 602-262-6164
10 a.m. City Council Transportation, Infrastructure and Sustainability Subcommittee
Phoenix City Hall, 12th floor, City Council Subcommittee Room, 200 W. Washington St.
Alejandro Montiel, 602-261-8512
5 p.m. Mayor’s State of the Downtown
CityScape, 1 E. Washington St., (Washington to Jefferson streets on Central Avenue)
Gerardo Higginson, 602-534-9505
Friday, Oct. 22
10 a.m. – noon Grant Writing 101
Neighborhood Services Department West Facility, 3325 W. Flower St., Suite 100
Lisa Honebrink, 602-262-6180
1 – 2:30 p.m. Meet Journalist Terry Green Sterling,
Burton Barr Central Library, Pulliam Auditorium, 1221 N. Central Ave.
Rita Marko, 602-534-2025
The meetings listed in the calendar are accurate as of Friday, Oct. 29. For possible changes and additional city meetings, visit phoenix.gov/publicmeetings.
City of Phoenix Meetings and Events, Oct 18th-24th
Here’s this week’s list of downtown Phoenix related meetings and events hosted by the City of Phoenix:
Monday, Oct. 18
7:30 a.m. Proposed Bus Service Changes Public Meeting,
Phoenix Central Station,, 300 N. Central Ave.,
Matt Heil, 602-261-8392
2 p.m. City Council Downtown, Aviation and Economy Subcommittee,
Phoenix City Hall, 12th floor, City Council Subcommittee Room, 200 W. Washington St.
Alejandro Montiel, 602-261-8512
Tuesday, Oct. 19
10 a.m. City Council Seniors, Families and Parks Subcommittee,
Phoenix City Hall, 12th floor, City Council Subcommittee Room, 200 W. Washington St.
Alejandro Montiel, 602-261-8512
10 a.m. Public Meeting on Proposed Taxicab Ordinance
Steele Indian School Park Memorial Hall, 300 E. Indian School Road
Marcie Colpas, 602-262-6164
1 p.m. City Council Finance, Efficiency and Innovation Subcommittee,
Phoenix City Hall, 12th floor, City Council Subcommittee Room, 200 W. Washington St.
Alejandro Montiel, 602-261-8512
Wednesday, Oct. 20
3 p.m. City Council Formal Meeting,
City Council Chambers, 200 W. Jefferson St.
Alejandro Montiel, 602-262-8512
5 p.m. Proposed Bus Service Changes Public Hearing
Phoenix Public Transit Building, 4th floor, Conference Room, 302 N. First Ave.
Matt Heil, 602-261-8392
Friday, Oct. 22
Noon – 1 p.m. Lunch and Learn Session Recognizing National Cyber Security Awareness Month,
“Password Cracking 101 – How to Create a Safer Password,”
Phoenix City Hall, assembly room C, 200 W. Washington St.,
Margaret Shalley, 602-262-1623
Saturday, Oct. 23
2 – 3:30 p.m. Meet Best-selling Author Lisa McMann,
Burton Barr Central Library, 1221 N. Central Ave.
Rita Marko, 602-534-2025
The meetings listed in the calendar are accurate as of Friday, Oct. 15. For possible changes and additional city meetings, visit phoenix.gov/publicmeetings.
DVC Letter Regarding Liquor Sales at Central and McDowell CVS
City of Phoenix
City Clerk Department
200 West Washington Street, 1st Floor
Phoenix, Arizona 85003
This is to inform you that the Downtown Voices Coalition Steering Committee has voted to support the Roosevelt and Townsend Park neighborhoods in their opposition to the request by CVS Pharmacy #9347 for a Series 09 liquor license. Additionally, this letter reflects the sentiment of several individual steering committee members who are currently participating in the development of the Hance Park Master Plan.
The sale of packaged liquor at the neighboring CVS location would, we believe, have a negative affect both on Hance Park, as well as on local neighborhoods. We believe that the ready availability of alcohol to the many street people who frequent the park will result in the same kinds of problems associated with public alcohol consumption and inebriation experienced in similar areas frequented by homeless individuals – Townsend and University Parks come to mind. Such problems, in turn, tend to spill over into neighboring communities, creating negative impacts on their quality of life, and resulting in more calls for service from police and other public agencies.
To conclude, we are requesting that the City Council deny the request by CVS Pharmacy #9347 for a Series 09 liquor license. We believe that if awarded it will serve as a detriment to the renewal of Hance Park, as well as have a negative influence on the quality of life in local neighborhoods
Thank you for your consideration.
Sincerely yours,
Wm. Timothy Sprague
Vice Chair, Downtown Voices Coalition
District 4 Town Hall, October 13th
 The District 4 Town Hall will be held on Wednesday, October 13th at 6:00pm at the Community Church of Hope. The church is located at 4121 North 7th Ave (on the east side 7th Ave just north of Indian School Rd – map). Entrance and parking are on 6th Dr.
Join Councilman Simplot with your questions, concerns and ideas about District 4. City staff from Police, Neighborhood Services, Public Works and other city departments will also be in attendance. For more information, please contact the Council District 4 office at 602.262.7447 or council.district.4@phoenix.gov. |
Phoenix City Council approved a new strategy for a transparent and consistent user fees
[Source: Toni Maccarone, City of Phoenix News Release]
On Tuesday, the Phoenix City Council approved a new strategy designed to give the public a more transparent and consistent process when the city is proposing new user fees or recommending changes to existing fees.
“Any new fee proposals from city staff now will be considered only once a year, during the city’s annual public budget hearing process,” said Councilman Bill Gates, chairman of the City Council Finance, Efficiency and Innovation Subcommittee.
“This new strategy will help us move forward in a more open and transparent way, and I am pleased that the process was developed in partnership with city staff and our private sector members of the Innovation and Efficiency Task Force,” he said.
As part of the new strategy, city staff will work with the Parks and Recreation Board to defer consideration of mountain preserve parking fees so they can be examined as part of the comprehensive budget process in Spring 2011. The fees had been scheduled to be discussed at the Oct. 6 City Council meeting.
“I support the city’s new fee strategy and am pleased that the Parks Board can participate in this new process,” said Laura Bell, chairwoman of the Phoenix Parks and Recreation Board.
As approved by the City Council, city staff will compile a comprehensive list of all user fee services, along with an analysis of their cost recovery, and present the information to the City Council by March 2011, in time for the city’s annual public budget hearings. There will be no new user fees or increases to existing fees considered by the City Council until March 2011.
The strategy adopted by the City Council also fully supports the new state law that requires governments to post any recommended fee changes on their websites. The city’s fee area is located on the phoenix.gov homepage.
For more information contact Toni Maccarone at 602-495-5901
Police internal-affairs looks to move to historic downtown Phoenix building
[Source: Michael Ferraresi, azcental.com’s PHXBeat]
Phoenix police are working with city staff to see if a recently-vacated building on Jefferson Street downtown could permanently house the city’s internal-affairs detectives.
The city-owned Barrister Building at 101 S. Central Ave. served for years as home to some Public Works Department staff and the Phoenix Employment Relations Board, in addition to other city offices, prior to this summer’s exodus.
Phoenix Public Works shuttered the building and moved staff to new facilities to cut down on energy expenses and other costs. Staff said the plan is to explore economic development opportunities with private businesses, though the police department asked for a separate review.
Phoenix pays around $300,000 annually to house the police department’s Professional Standards Bureau at a private building near Monroe Street and First Avenue downtown, according to an August e-mail Executive Assistant Phoenix Police Chief Joe Yahner wrote in an e-mail to city staff.
Phoenix police Sgt. Trent Crump said the savings “is not going to be anywhere near that number,” though the police and public works departments recently began collecting information about possible cost savings by moving detectives and other staff into the Barrister Building.
Eventually, a cost analysis and projections for long-term savings by moving detectives will be presented to City Council, Crump said.
Barrister was previously known as the Jefferson Hotel. Scenes from Alfred Hitchcock‘s 1960 thrilled, “Psycho,” were shot there.
The Phoenix Police Museum, run by a non-profit group, will remain at the Barrister Building.
The Professional Standards Bureau was moved to a private facility, off police department premises, years ago to provide citizens with an off-site location to contact detectives with complaints about police misconduct.
