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).

Dear Friends and neighbors,

You and your family have been forced to pay, through higher fees and taxes, for Phoenix’s unsustainable costs and inability to face its responsibility to holdthem down. I have officially requested a list and amount of all tax and fee hikes the City has imposed on you and will send it to you as soon as the city provides it.

Below is alink to a column I wrote for the Arizona Republic that appeared in the June 9, 2010 edition. In it, I lay out four reforms that would solve the city’s budget issues forever by making Phoenix take responsibility for its fiscal management rather than foist it off on citizens and businesses.

I was toldwhen I first started this battle that there would be a penalty for doing so. Gravy trains do not take well to imposed brakes, and the king bridles atmention of the naked truth.

Since I have been back on the Phoenix City Council, I have been fighting for the cityto recognize that its labor cost – at an average $100,000 per worker – is unsustainable and that the bill can’t be paid forever by constantly stacking tax increases after fee hikes on the backs of ratepayers and businesses.

We now aretold that a recall and smear movement against me are in the wings, financed and organized by the civilian unions that reap the government largesse funded by you taxpayers and businesses.

Taxpayers Win, No Tax Rate Hike Ok’d

Office of Councilman Sal DiCiccio, District 6

602-262-7491

Council.district.6@phoenix.gov

Phoenix taxpayers earned a great (and rare) win on Tuesday when the Phoenix City Council voted unanimously to hold the property tax rate and to make up the expected deficit with spending cuts, innovations and structural changes.

“This is a huge victory for Phoenix taxpayers, but it’s only one step on the long road to fiscal stability for Phoenix,” said Councilman Sal DiCiccio, who supported holding down the rate. City staff originally had recommended a series of secondary property tax rate increases in out years that would have meant higher property tax rates in the city from 2013 until 2028.

Editor’s Note: Video and audio available below the fold.

Dear Friends and Neighbors,

Your property tax is about to go up.  In the last four months, the City of Phoenix has imposed on you and your family:

• A new food tax (up $50 million per year)
• Increased water rates ($30 million per year; a 40% increase over 5 years)
• Increased sewer rates ($3 million this year)
• Increased fees on small business

And now the City of Phoenix wants to raise your property tax rate, even though your property values have gone down.

All of these fees and taxes were imposed to afford an average cost of $100,000 per city employee – that’s for all 14,000 employees.  This could all be fixed if Phoenix simply would restructure operations.  My office has asked Phoenix to address the high cost of labor at City Hall.  Instead, the city has chosen the easy route of raising taxes and fees on you, the public; all of which I opposed.

At 2 p.m. May 25, Phoenix will consider raising your property tax rate under the guise of a “floating rate.”  That means your taxes will “float” up.

I need your help.  Phoenix taxpayers need your help.  Please call or e-mail my office and let me know we don’t need anymore taxes.  I will pass your information along to the rest of the Council.

Please help get the word out and pass this information along.

Respectfully,

Sal DiCiccio
Phoenix Councilman
Council.district.6@phoenix.gov
200 W. Washington St. 11th Floor
Phoenix , AZ 85003
(602) 262-7491

From:       council.district.6@phoenix.gov <council.district.6@phoenix.gov>
Subject:   Message from Councilman Sal DiCiccio: City Attorney Rules Against Mayor Gordon
To:
Date:       Monday, May 3, 2010, 5:04 PM


Dear Friends,

I have some important information from Phoenix City Attorney Gary Verburg to share with you.  

As you all know, Mayor Phil Gordon believed he had the ability to press a lawsuit against the state of Arizona to halt the implementation of SB-1070.  I, and a clear majority of the council, let the mayor know that he could not take such action without the consent of the City Council.  

Attached is the letter from the city attorney outlining the fact that Mayor Gordon cannot take such action without the approval of the council.  

Your voice was definitely heard by me and my colleagues.  

Like you, I feel that SB-1070 will make all Arizonans more safe and secure.  Since 1999, eight Phoenix police officers have been murdered or seriously injured by illegal immigrants.  I feel this is unacceptable.  

I admire the courage of the Arizona State Legislature and Governor Jan Brewer in passing and signing this bill into law; a law which an overwhelming majority of Arizonans support.  



Thank you again for all of your support,

Sal DiCiccio
Phoenix City Councilman
602-262-7491
200 W. Washington St., 11th Floor
Phoenix, AZ 85003
council.district.6@phoenix.gov



P.S:  I encourage you to please pass this information along to anyone you feel would be interested in it.

View the letter here [PDF]

On Wednesday February 17, 2010 the editorial staff of the Arizona Republic described the Phoenix Law Enforcement Association by writing, “PLEA has long been the city’s most recalcitrant union.” Was this a criticism or a commendation? At first blush, police officers who risk their lives on a daily basis might take offense at this description. But when one considers the history of the word, the antonyms that offset the term, and the management style of Phoenix and the police department, it might become easier to consider “recalcitrant” as a backhanded compliment. Dictionaries tell us that the word dates back to approximately 1843 and comes from a French word which literally means “kicking back.” It carried the sense of “to resist obstinately” – similar to a victim fighting off and kicking back at an attacker.

Listen Now! to comments on the topic aired on the Mike Broomhead show on KFYI on Friday March 5, 2010.

The evolution of the word as used today carries a range of meanings including aggressive, bold, gutsy, daring, challenging, resistant, indomitable, defiant, and willful. Antonyms of the word provide meaningful context for a deeper understanding. For recalcitrant, antonyms include amenable, obliging, and passive. PLEA “kicked out” at an illegal immigration policy that was imposed on Phoenix Police Officers – a policy that was not in line with 70% to 80% of the citizens, a policy that lacked deterrence and common sense, a policy which failed to address the high cost paid by Phoenix Police Officers and the Hispanic community. The policy turned a blind eye to the rule of law and was clearly connected to the deterioration of the quality of life in our city. Yes, PLEA was recalcitrant. The Association challenged the obvious problem. At the members’ direction, we did not passively sit by while damage was being done to our cops and their communities. Chief Harris did the right thing, changed the policy, and almost as if a switch was thrown, crime dropped double-digits.

Read the rest.

Cities, counties and states that haven’t been very kind to illegal immigrants over the years are suddenly dusting off their welcome mats. With the 2010 census about to get under way, those undocumented residents will be worth a lot of money for the next few weeks.

Jurisdictions across the country are reaching out to illegal immigrant communities, some of which are reluctant to participate, in an effort to convince them that filling out the census form is safe and that the information they provide won’t be used against them. Counting every last resident is vital for these districts, because the census numbers will be used to determine funding as well as legislative districts. The more people an area has, the more money it is eligible for, and the more representation it can get in Congress — which usually means even more money.

Desperate to save police, fire and other city jobs, a divided Phoenix City Council on Tuesday approved a sales tax on grocery items that will generate tens of millions of dollars a year.

The 2 percent food tax will take effect April 1 and expire after five years, though Mayor Phil Gordon said the council has the option of reversing its decision after it hears from the public during 15 budget hearings planned for this month.

The tax on milk, meat, vegetables and other food purchased by shoppers will generate an estimated $12.5 million for the fiscal year that ends June 30. It will raise another $50 million for fiscal 2011. Food purchased with food stamps will not be taxed.

The extra tax revenue means Phoenix will have more money in its coffers to help close a $241 million general-fund budget deficit through June 2011. Last week, budget officials proposed cutting $140 million in services. Other special funds for things like transit also could get money.

City Manager David Cavazos proposed eliminating 1,379 citywide positions, including nearly 500 police officers and firefighters. Among the dozens of targeted cuts, libraries and senior centers would be closed, an after-school program would be dismantled, and bus and light-rail service would be significantly reduced.

Read the rest.