Phoenix is facing a $53 million deficit in the 2018-19 fiscal year, according to a report released by the City Manager. Phoenix City Councilmember Sal DiCiccio fears that City will blame the deficit on the police and fire departments’ pensions.
While DiCiccio acknowledges that the pensions are problematic, he says the fault for the deficit belongs to “the managers and the politicians who allowed this to happen by refusing to prioritize city functions and stop reckless spending.”
In a statement released Monday, DiCiccio offered an example of the “reckless spending.”
The most expensive PRIVATE SECTOR apartment complex ever sold in Phoenix, across from the luxurious Biltmore at 26th Street and Camelback, sold for $277,000 per door.
A few blocks away, Phoenix leaders approved a GOVERNMENT BUILT “affordable housing apartment” project at 24th Street and Van Buren, costing us $281,000 per door to build- $32 million total.
The private sector apartment complex had all the bells and whistles, luxurious spa, wood floors, upgraded carpet and counters, but still cost less than the one built by Phoenix. The affordable housing project had bids for half the cost, which meant twice as many units could have been built for the poor, but instead we chose to do it the wrong way.
DiCiccio says that Phoenix “has a structural deficit problem that will not be fixed until we begin the process of prioritizing spending on critical strategic functions. It is hard to justify cutting programs for the poor when Phoenix is spending millions on government waste – at least $5 million alone on PR, lobbying and memberships per year.”
DiCiccio claims that Phoenix is short over 500 police officers, and asks why the City is “spending money frivolously” rather than on public safety.
“And now we have been told that we will not address this future deficit, I believe primarily because we are in an election year and it would be too damaging. How does city management justify protecting politicians at the expense of the public? Phoenix leaders know we have a financial crisis hitting our city every single year, at a time when other cities throughout the state are enjoying higher revenue growth and no deficits,” concluded DiCiccio.