Councilman Sal DiCiccio and community members unhappy with the Phoenix Parks Board new parking fee at mountain preserves are mounting a public pressure campaign to reject the new charge.
DiCiccio, District 6 staff members and volunteers will be passing out fliers at the affected preserve parking areas this weekend urging hikers and others upset with the new fee to help rally support to kill it. Alex Tauber, a north Phoenix neighborhood activist, and other volunteers, also will be passing out fliers and encouraging like-minded citizens to register their protest. (Citizens may do so by emailing council.district.6@phoenix.gov or calling 602-262-7491).
“The vast majority of calls and emails to our office show that most people who use those parks think this fee hike is outrageous, and I do, too,” DiCiccio said. “We’re going to put together a comprehensive list of all those who object to yet one more fee hike by the city — and make sure their voices are heard.”
While the Parks Board has the authority to impose the fee without Council approval, the City Council must authorize enforcement of it. DiCiccio has said he will vote against that and will encourage other council members to do the same.
The councilman said the city’s real financial problem is that it has unsustainable labor costs averaging $100,000 for all 14,000-plus employees, including salary and benefits. He noted that Phoenix has raised about $100 million in new taxes and fees in the past nine months to help cover revenue shortfalls.
“Rather than pick the taxpayer’s pocket over and over and over again, Phoenix needs to make structural revenue and spending changes that reflect the reality of today’s world – just like every business and family in Phoenix has had to do,” DiCiccio said.
No vote has been scheduled yet on enforcement of the fee. The city’s plan was to issue warnings for several months to educate the public about the fee before bringing it to the City Council.
Councilman Sal DiCiccio will be at Pima Canyon at 6:30 a.m. Saturday, July 17, passing out fliers and talking with hikers and trail bikers. Pima Canyon is at the east end of South Mountain. To reach there, exit I-10 at Elliott Road, turn north on 48th Street and turn left into Pima Canyon just as 48th Street bends eastward and turns into Guadalupe. Drive past the guard booth at the entrance to Pima Canyon and go to the armadas at the end, next to the trail head.
