The highest priority for Mesa’s elected officeholders is to ensure the safety of our community’s families.
Making sure we have excellent 911 response times and public safety services requires putting our resources behind the men and women working the frontlines of Mesa’s police and fire departments.
That’s why the two of us—Mesa Mayor John Giles and District 5 Councilman David Luna—hope you will join us in voting yes on Question 1 on or before Nov. 8.
For years, Mesa’s public safety departments have done more with less, stretching our people almost to the breaking point. While our population has soared, public safety staffing has fallen 30 percent. As a result, 911 response times have jumped by 75 seconds.
If approved, Question 1 will direct $23 million annually toward police, fire and paramedic services. This means Mesa will be able to hire 58 police officers, 14 fire fighters, six engineers and six fire captains by 2024. The revenue also will help us meet equipment needs, including radios, communications consoles, records management system upgrades and driving track resurfacing for police; and breathing apparatus, cardiac lead monitors, computer-aided dispatch equipment upgrades, communications equipment and infrastructure and emergency generators for our fire fighters.
Additionally, Question 1 directs $15 million yearly toward economic development and higher education projects, including a new Arizona State University campus downtown. Improving higher education in the City will help create the skilled workforce we need to attract new jobs. And providing better tech, as well as science, technology, engineering and mathematics, or STEM education, will allow our youngest residents to compete in a 21st century economy.
The bottom line? If approved, Question 1 will increase the City’s Transaction Privilege Sales Tax from 1.75 percent to 2.15 percent—still squarely in the middle of the Valley’s 11 largest cities and towns. In sheer dollars and cents, it means the next time you spend $10 to buy lunch at a fast food restaurant, you would pay an extra 4 cents.
Given that our City does not have a primary property tax or a sales tax on groceries, we see Question 1 as the most responsible way to strategically staff and equip our public safety services and improve our City’s higher education options and economic development efforts.
We hope that come Nov. 8, you will join Mesa’s public safety community and leaders, such as Representative Matt Salmon and Supervisor Denny Barney, in voting yes on Question 1. Together, we can ensure the safety of Mesa’s families, youngsters and seniors and build a thriving next Mesa.