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The Mesa Chamber Government Affairs Committee met this past Friday, January 19, 2024, with a special presentation from guest speaker Supervisor Thomas Galvin.

Supervisor Galvin reviewed a variety of topics including 2023 milestones, housing, public, animal care, and elections.

Supervisor Galvin also mentioned a total county budget decrease of $114 million in this 2024 fiscal year, indicating a -2.6% change in comparison to the 2023 budget.

The three top sources of this funding originate from the fund balance (22.20%), state shared sales tax (21.28%) and other intergovernmental funds and grants (18.89%). Nearly half of this budget funding is allocated solely to public safety, with 49.90%. Supervisor Galvin explained the importance of this funding, in keeping communities safer through efforts such as the “Focus on Fentanyl” Program, anti-human trafficking, sexual assault, child abuse, and other intergovernmental efforts. Other main ways this funding is being used are in Health, Welfare, and Sanitation (28.09%), General Government funding (14.13%) and in Highways and Streets (6.04%).

Another topic of interest includes the decrease in property tax rate from fiscal year 2021 to 2024, from a total rate of $1.6357 to $1.4068. Contrary to previous years, fiscal years 2023 and 2024 presented changes in all three property tax rate sections: county primary, flood control, and library.

The county continues to grow with multiple companies expanding or relocating in this area, including the following Mesa-located companies: Apple, AT&T, Amazon, Gulfstream, and Sysco. The addition of these companies in the region is projected to create thousands of jobs.

Maricopa County has made investments in housing, with focuses on affordable rental housing and ownership opportunities. This includes options for seniors facing homelessness and seniors or adults with disabilities.

Supervisor Galvin also reminded the committee of the upcoming 2024 Elections. Presidential Preference Elections will be held on March 19, 2024. Independent or undesignated party members cannot vote in this election; however, they can vote in the Primary Election and General Election on August 6, 2024, and November 5, 2024, respectively.

In addition to Supervisor Galvin’s presentation, Dorn Policy Group provided the group with the latest legislative updates.

For example, the Governor put out an executive budget a week prior to the Government Affairs meeting, to which she had made a couple of cuts over the past few months, which includes the postponing of a few transportation-focused projects.

Projects that will continue into the 2024 fiscal year include the 1-10 Expansion between Phoenix and Casa Grande. Dorn Policy Group has advocated for the I-10 expansion, which aims to improve the flow of people and goods between. There are currently only two lanes in each direction, which could easily become congested or closed with an incident or other road issues.

To learn more legislative and other updates from this committee, make sure to attend the next Government Affairs Committee meeting on Friday, February 16, 2024, from 7:30am to 8:30am at the Mesa Chamber of Commerce.