Maritza Dominguez, Arizona Republic
·4 min read
Mesa voters in November will decide to allow the city to issue more than $254 million in debt to fund public safety, parks and streets over the next 10 years.
The city council unanimously approved to add the general obligation bonds to the November ballot on Monday.
General obligation bonds are used to finance long-term capital improvements and are repaid by the city’s secondary property tax. Mesa does not have a primary tax.
The city narrowed down a master list of about 48 projects and took about 12 projects that resonated most with residents, City Manager Chris Brady said.
This will allow the city to prioritize and move quickly on projects that need to be built out, he said.
Voters will see two separate bond requests on the November ballot. One bond will ask voters to approve $90 million for public safety and a second bond for $170 million for recreation facilities and cultural projects.
The bonds would cost Mesa homeowners between $50 to $70 a year, depending on the assessed value of their house.
New 911 center and other public safety projects
A new 911 center to bring police and fire dispatchers under one roof would be the costliest project for the city at $55 million.
Currently, dispatchers for the two public safety departments are in separate buildings largely because of limited space. Industry standards call for police and fire to be in the same facility and that it provides a better service, Brady said.
Right now, when a Mesa resident calls 911 an operator with the police department takes the call. If the call is a fire or medical call it's then handed off to a different dispatcher within Mesa's Fire and Medical Department.
When that call is handed off to fire, the 911 caller repeats duplicate information to the second point of contact, who then dispatches an ambulance or firefighter. With a new 911 center, that lag of communication would end, Brady said.
The city has identified land it owns in northeast Mesa where it could build the facility.
The rest of the funding for the public safety bond request goes towards:
Fire trucks: $20 million,
Street improvements: $7 million,
Fiber network improvements: $4 million, and,
Fire and Medical substation: $2.75 million.
The $7 million identified for streets is largely to redesign streets with high-trafficked pedestrians and bicyclists to make them safer.
Park and museum updates on tap
A new indoor recreation center, park renovations and a museum expansion are part of the $170 million request.
Four parks will get pickleball courts, and seven will get updates to playground equipment.
Brady said the city is also focused on surveying the parks and identifying areas where landscaping can be changed or grass can be replaced with artificial turf for water conservation efforts.
A new trail system in northeast Mesa is planned near the Red Mountain Loop 202 and McKellips Road that will connect to an existing Maricopa County trail.
Two new pools in east Mesa are also a part of the package. The first pool will be built at Easmark High School along Ray and Ellsworth roads, an area that lacks a public city pool. The Fremont pool, along Power and Brown roads, was built in the mid-1970s and is at the end of its lifespan. The city plans demolished the pool at the junior high school and rebuilt at Red Mountain Park.
That will mark the first and only city pool at a park rather than on school property.
The most costly project will be an indoor recreation center for youth sports. About $55 million will be set aside for the project.
Mesa’s i.d.e.a Museum for children will get new upgrades, including:
new art studio,
new outdoor exhibit and interactive space,
an enhanced entry façade,
a remodel of restrooms, and,
relocation of the eating area.
The bond package will also set aside $5 million to fully fund the planned renovations of the city’s oldest historic home in downtown Mesa.
The Sirrine home is the only standing Victorian-era house that has been vacant for over a decade. The city plans to reactivate the more than 127-year-old home into a gathering place and an urban agriculture education center.
Reporter Maritza Dominguez covers Mesa, Gilbert and Queen Creek andcan be reached atmaritza.dominguez@arizonarepublic.comor 480-271-0646. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter:@maritzacdom.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: What $254M could build in Mesa if voters approve bonds in November
