Buckeye panel pitches almost $300M in bonds for public safety, roads and parks

Buckeye is gearing up for a bond election in November, which would be the city's first in nearly 40 years.

The Buckeye Bond Committee, which started meeting in January and is chaired by former Buckeye Mayor Jackie Meck, presented to the City Council on Tuesday during the City Council workshop.

Workshops are used as a time to discuss items with the City Council, but no action is taken at the meetings.

The purpose of the bond committee was to identify the city's needs and prioritize the projects for the next two to five years and the next five to 10 years, said Doug Sandstrom, Buckeye deputy city manager. The committee also examined property tax impacts as a result of the bond in order to keep taxes affordable, Sandstrom said.

According to a survey sent out to Buckeye residents that received about 200 responses, Sandstrom said the top project that residents would like to see was a recreation center. After that, residents prioritized streets and public safety projects.

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The projects were divided into three categories: public safety, transportation and parks and recreation. But the committee is recommending that two questions be asked on the ballot in November, as opposed to three. One question would ask voters if the city should be authorized $282 million for street, transportation and public safety improvements, while the other would ask voters if the city should issue bonds for $16.8 million for parks and recreation improvements.

The committee is recommending $137 million be allocated for public safety, $145 million be allocated for streets and transportation and $16.8 million be allocated for parks and recreation.

Sandstrom said the committee is recommending that public safety and streets and transportation measures be combined because both categories involve safety. Most of the transportation projects are safety-related, he said.

District 5 Councilmember Craig Heustis expressed concern that voters may be put off by the $282 million figure. Voting on two smaller numbers may be easier for voters to grasp even though it would be for the same amount of money, Heustis said.

City Council members can recommend changes to the projects and the costs before the bond proposals reach voters in November. The City Council was scheduled to discuss the bond election at its May 21 meeting.

Buckeye currently does not have a secondary property tax. But if the bonds are approved by voters, Buckeye would pay back the bonds by implementing a secondary property tax, which is how all Arizona cities repay bond debt.

Sandstrom discussed several different scenarios regarding how the bond will impact homeowners, depending on if the city issues the debt all at once, or if the debt is staggered. For example, one of the scenarios Sandstrom presented had the city issuing a debt every five years, and one with the city issuing a debt every 10 years.

Buckeye's primary tax rate is currently $1.60. If the city were to issue only one debt, the combined tax rate would be $2.66. That means repayment of the bonds would cost a household $106 per $100,000 of assessed valuation annually. If the city were to issue about $100 million every five years, the combined tax rate would be $2.25, which would come out to $65 per $100,000 of assessed valuation annually.

Currently, the city's median assessed valuation is about $177,000.

Sandstrom said homeowners would be coached on how to calculate their property's assessed valuation in order to determine the exact impact the bond will have.

Public safety projects

Under the public safety category, $21 million would go toward building a fire station in Westpark. Currently, the area only has an interim facility. The new one would ensure compliance with National Fire Protection Association standards.

About $19.1 million would go toward a fire station in the Victory community within the Verrado area. The new station would ensure that current response times are maintained as the area continues to grow and also would reduce the use of neighboring stations.

About $97.3 million would go toward building a centralized police and fire administration facility, which would serve as the public safety headquarters for the city. The city's personnel are now dispersed at various properties throughout the city, some of which are outdated. The new facility would have the capacity for everyone to be at one place.

$30 million would go toward public safety training facilities. That could include training classrooms, a shooting range and driving track. The money from the bond would go toward the initial phase, which would be acquiring land for the facilities.

The total for those projects comes out to $167.4 million, which means the city would need either additional funding sources or to scale back the existing projects, Sandstrom said.

Streets and transportation

For streets and transportation, $50 million would go toward street reconstruction. Heavily trafficked areas would be prioritized, such as Broadway Road from State Route 85 to Yuma Road.

Another $50 million would go toward "pinch point" removal. Some arterial roads in the city did not develop as expected, leading to irregular lane alignments. For example, some "bottleneck roads" will force drivers to merge into one lane abruptly, leading to increased traffic and accidents.

About $48 million would go toward widening and improving certain sections of Indian School Road, such as from Jackrabbit Road to Perryville Road. Widening the lanes would help reduce congestion.

About $11 million would be allocated for lighting Sun Valley Parkway. Currently, the roadway does not have any lighting, although both Tartesso and Festival are located along the road. Adding lighting would increase safety.

Parks and recreation

The amount allocated toward parks and recreation is significantly lower so voters are more likely to support it, Sandstrom said.

About $8.8 million would go toward the construction of a trailhead at Lost Creek Trail. More hikers are visiting the White Tank Mountains, and a trailhead could include restrooms, additional parking and a covered ramada.

About $8 million would go toward Sundance Park enhancements. The expansion would add new pickleball courts, improve parking facilities and relocate the dog park.

Reach the reporter at ahardle@gannett.com or by phone at 480-259-8545. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter: @AlexandraHardle.

This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Buckeye panel pitches $300M in public safety and park projects