Message from the CEO October 2013

Time to Stand Up for Scottsdale

Yes on the Bonds

On Thursday, October 10, 2013 the voters of Scottsdale will start to receive their early ballots for a November election that will, in several key ways, help determine Scottsdale’s future. It is vital that the business community voice be heard on several key issues.

First, the city of Scottsdale placed on the ballot four bond questions, all of which the Chamber supports strongly and all of which take a no-frills and measured approach to helping our city address some aging infrastructure challenges. People can’t reach your business if the streets are flooded. We have firehouses in trailers in parts of our city. Many of our traffic signals have thirty-year old switchboxes that require constant and expensive maintenance and challenge our pol8ice and fire personnel to divert their attention away from much-needed activities so that your customers can get through an intersection.

Upgrading our infrastructure protects the value of our city, just as fixing your home increases and protects its value. The Chamber supports this $212 million package of improvements to our city, culled from over $1 billion in defined needs and wants by a citizen task force, because our future depends on it. We, as business owners pay our taxes, expect quality services and value this great city as one of the finest places to live, work, learn and play. Scottsdale’s AAA Bond rating from all three bond rating agencies points to our fiscal management and prudence, and investing in our key infrastructure will keep our city among the finest in the nation.

Please vote YES on all Questions 1, 2, 3, & 4 on the ballot! For more information, please visit www.preservescottsdalesfuture.com for more information.

Yes on the SUSD Override

In addition to the Bonds, there is another important ballot issues - an override request from the Scottsdale Unified School District (SUDS). With the exception of voter-approved overrides (which are severely limited) school districts may only access the same levels of funding as any school district in the state. The override is our only option for providing incremental funding for our A rated schools.

Scottsdale Unified is one of the finest school districts in the state, and they function on a level of funding that ranks near the bottom of school funding in the United States. You, the voter, can help them continue their excellent reputation and results by approving this important override.

What will the override do?
• Preserve free all-day Kindergarten
• Keep our music and arts programs
• Reduce class sizes through the hiring of more than 70 teachers
• Save the jobs of 129 of our current teachers

Nothing can be more important to the business community than the training of our workforce for their future lives. Our district has met with great success, despite massive cuts brought on by the recession and challenges at the state. For an average homeowner the cost is $7 per month, less than most of us spend on coffee a week, to improve Scottsdale’s schools, keep our teachers on the job, preserve the depth of our schools’ programs and prepare students for the workforce.

Please let your voice be heard. Give the city and SUSD the financial tools they need to keep Scottsdale the finest city in the southwest!