Click the play button on the video window to the see the storyArizona mayors are asking to spend your future tax dollars on jogging paths, million dollar fences for baseball fields and a new $35 million Scottsdale museum.
The U.S. Conference of Mayors wants money for what they have titled the “Mainstreet Economic Recovery: ‘Ready to Go’ Jobs and Infrastructure Projects”.
Any project listed in the report is supposed to help improve infrastructure and counter severe economic problems by creating a significant number of jobs.
“I think that there are a lot of other places to put any money that the government allows us to have,” a Scottsdale resident told ABC15.
The ABC15 Investigators went through the nearly 345-page report and found 19 Arizona cities asking for money.
Scottsdale is asking for $9.5 million for renovations to the Scottsdale Center for the Performing Arts.
W.J. “Jim” Lane has been mayor of Scottsdale since January 2009. He said that Scottsdale’s list of requests was put together in a hurry by staff prior to the time that he came into office.
“When I think about infrastructure, I think about streets and road and highways and sewer lines,” Mayor Lane said.
Scottsdale is also asking for a new $35 million museum called the Scottsdale Museum of the West.
“Now, see I didn’t realize that was still on the list,” Mayor Lane told ABC15.
“Would you accept that $35 million?” ABC15 asked.
“I can tell you that would be a very tough one for me, I'm not sure that's the proper application,” Mayor Lane said.
The city is currently facing a $60 million budget deficit.
“Are you surprised to see these items still on the list?" ABC15 asked.
“Well I am a little surprised,” said the mayor.
It's a concern shared by Scottsdale taxpayers.
“My road has been under construction basically since I’ve lived there. It would be nice to have that fixed,” a Scottsdale resident told ABC15.
Darcy Olsen is President of the Goldwater Institute, a Phoenix based government watchdog organization. While the report does include legitimate projects like road and water improvement, Olsen said it also shows how out of touch our local government is with taxpayers all across Arizona.
“This is more of a pork report than a main street needs report,” Olsen said.
The city of Kingman wants $150,000 for a locomotive park train structure.
At the same time, Kingman residents are being asked to pay $400 more on average for higher water fees.
Kingman's mayor told ABC15:
I was not aware that the project was part of your list. This project was originally listed because it qualified as “shovel ready” in that it would not take long to design or construct.
I believe that it was in December before the new administration had to taken office and before the ARRA had even been drafted. Our list to the conference of mayors was a response to a survey of cities with regard to what types of projects that they might need funding. As far as I know, that list was never an official project list.
The project was never prioritized or included in any official submittal to the State of Arizona for funding like our transportation and water/wastewater projects. Under my administration, we have been scrutinizing and eliminating projects that in my opinion would not be a wise use of taxpayer money. Thank you for your inquiry. Lake Havasu City’s list of requests include $26 million for a multi-use park and nine new baseball fences, a $19 million Recreation center and $350,000 to rehab a jogging path.
Lake Havasu City told ABC15:
There is no funding available through the US Conference of Mayors. They used their list to lobby Congress. It was used for demonstration purposes to illustrate to Congress the infrastructure needs in America’s communities and the jobs those projects would create IF the funds were made available.
The processes now in place to accomplish the goals of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act have gone way beyond the initial US Mayors effort and communities like ours are now applying for stimulus funds through the various state agencies, NOT the US Conference of Mayors.
Theoretically, we could ask the US Conference of Mayors to take all of Lake Havasu City’s projects off their list and it would not affect the allocation of stimulus funds to this community.
I can tell you that this city does not anticipate receiving stimulus funds adequate to support any projects beyond our absolute highest priority projects, all of which are related to water, sewer, and transportation needs. Arizona taxpayers just want their money to be used responsibly.
"Helping people that are out of work, helping people keep the homes that they have," a Scottsdale resident told ABC15.
Mayor Lane says the city will re-evaluate the projects as the money comes in.
Read the “Mainstreet Economic Recovery: ‘Ready to Go’ Jobs and Infrastructure Projects". The login is: "readytogo". The password is: "Recovery2009".
Both the login and password are case sensitive. Arizona's projects start on page 26.
