Title
Pay Invoices for 2024 Downtown Enhanced Municipal Services District (Ordinance S-50324)
Description
Request to authorize the City Manager, or his designee, to pay all invoices received from Downtown Phoenix, Inc. (DPI) through the Phoenix Downtown Enhanced Municipal Services District (EMSD) Agreement, in an amount not to exceed $4,556,256 for work related to the calendar year 2024 Downtown EMSD budget and work plan through Dec. 31, 2024. Further request to authorize the City Treasurer to accept, and the City Controller to disburse, all funds related to this item.
Report
Summary
The City Council authorized formation of the Downtown EMSD in 1990 to provide enhanced public services, above and beyond the level of services provided in the remainder of the City. The City contracts directly with DPI to implement the work program of the Downtown EMSD, including the Ambassadors program, streetscape improvements and maintenance, the Clean Team program, marketing, event promotion, business assistance and transportation services. Pursuant to State law, each year a budget must be approved for the Downtown EMSD. This action is the final step in the annual budget process to authorize the Community and Economic Development Department to pay DPI for services rendered in calendar year 2024 under the Downtown EMSD contract.
Financial Impact
The City's total estimated annual expenditure for this program is $1,497,935, which includes:
- $439,123 from the General Fund (approximate $15 increase from 2023);
- $626,579 from the Phoenix Convention Center;
- $150,123 from the Sports Facilities Fund;
- $10,486 from the Phoenix Bioscience Core; and
- $271,623 from collections from tenants on City-owned properties.
An additional $984,388 is collected from other government-owned properties including Maricopa County, Maricopa County Stadium District and the State of Arizona. The remaining $2,073,934 of funds are collected from private property owners through an assessment on their property tax bill.
Estimated 2024 District Budget: $4,706,256
Estimated 2024 Assessment Revenue: $4,556,256
Estimated 2024 Non-assessment Revenue: $150,000
Although the budget is for calendar year 2024 in preparation for remitting on Jan. 1, 2024, the Community and Economic Development Department request the advance term as Dec.1, 2023, to Dec. 31, 2024, to prepare for implementation.
Concurrence/Previous Council Action
This item was recommended for approval at the Economic Development and Housing Subcommittee meeting on Oct. 11, 2023, by a vote of 4-0.
On Oct. 18, 2024, the City Council approved:
- The 2024 Downtown EMSD Budget, Assessments and Set Public Hearing Date of Nov. 15, 2023, for the hearing on the estimated assessments; and
- The 2024 Downtown EMSD Assessment Diagram.
Public Outreach
On Oct. 18, 2023, the City Council set the date of Nov. 15, 2023, as the date for the public hearing on the Downtown EMSD assessments. On Oct. 19, 2023, a total of 27 days prior to the hearing as legally required, all property owners were notified by mail of their annual assessment cost by the Street Transportation and Community and Economic Development departments. In addition, DPI has sent letters to all property owners, and the Downtown EMSD Board approved the 2024 budget at its May 2023 board meeting.
To answer any questions that property owners in the Downtown EMSD might have, Community and Economic Development Department staff made themselves available virtually for an hour prior to the Nov. 15, 2023, public hearing. Notice of the public hearing was also published in the Record Reporter as specified below. No further notification is required after the public hearing.
To be published:
The Record Reporter
- Nov. 1, 2023
- Nov. 3, 2023
Location
The Downtown EMSD is generally bounded by Fillmore Street on the north, 7th Street on the east, 3rd Avenue on the west, and on the south by the railroad tracks south of Jackson Street
Council Districts: 7 and 8
Department
Responsible Department
This item is submitted by Deputy City Managers John Chan and Alan Stephenson, and the Community and Economic Development and Street Transportation departments.