Chandler City Council is grappling once more with the machinations of growth and infrastructure, gauging whether to send a hefty $475 million bond package to the voters this November. The potential bond, as reported by the City of Chandler's official news site, is aimed at fueling the Capital Improvement Program without upping property tax rates.
What's telling in this scenario is the city leans on bonds for a lion's share — over 70 percent, in fact — for capital projects. A 31-member Resident Bond Exploratory Committee has done their due diligence, pinpointing street, park, and public safety enhancements as top-tier demands. Broken down, that's $183 million for streets, $158 million for parks and recreation, $88 million for fire department gear and infrastructure, and $46 million for police upgrades.
Now facing a decisive move, the council must either pass the baton to voters or keep it in their court. The decision looms next Thursday, with the possible bond election penciled in for November 4. The hitch here is the looming Arizona law, where a nod from voters is a must before general obligation bonds can be sold, the reason, these play into secondary property taxes required to service bonds.
If history serves as a touchstone, Chandler voters aren't shy on bond backings, having championed $451 million and $272 million bond packs in 2007 and 2021, respectively. Given inflation's bite on capital projects, the ask from taxpayers is back around sooner than anticipated. Concurrently, City Council's appetite for charter amendments — notably to tweak zoning and leasing laws — will wait, though it's on their radar for the future.
For details on the Resident Bond Committee Recommendations and the City Council's presentation, facts and figures await on the City of Chandler's website. Chandler's residents are again at a fiscal crossroads, this time with a nearly half-billion dollar decision hanging in the balance.
