Cities Mean Business
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A publication of the League of Arizona Cities and Towns | Summer 2011 CITIES MEAN BUSINESS Arizona City & Town 1 2 League of Arizona Cities and Towns Summer 2011 TabLE OF Executive Committee PRESIDENT Robert Walkup, Mayor, Tucson CONTENTS VIce PRESIDENT Doug Von Gausig, Mayor, Clarkdale TReaSURER DepaRTMENTS Mark Mitchell, Councilmember, Tempe 5 Message from the President COMMIttee MeMBERS Marie Lopez Rogers, Mayor of Avondale 6 Message from the Executive Director Jay Tibshraeny, Mayor of Chandler Gilbert Lopez, Councilmember of Coolidge 12 City/Town Snapshot Byron Jackson, Mayor of Eloy Parker, Arizona Elaine M. Scruggs, Mayor of Glendale Fernando Shipley, Mayor of Globe 14 Window to the Past John Salem, Mayor of Kingman Yuma Territorial Prison Mark Nexsen, Mayor of Lake Havasu City Thomas L. Schoaf, Mayor of Litchfield Park 15 Advertisers Index Scott Smith, Mayor of Mesa Kenny Evans, Mayor of Payson EXTRAS Bob Barrett, Mayor of Peoria Claude Mattox, Councilmember of Phoenix 7 Travel and Tourism Key to Arizona’s Harvey Skoog, Mayor of Prescott Valley Economic Success Lynne Skelton, Mayor of Sahuarita W.J. “Jim” Lane, Mayor of Scottsdale 8 2011 League Annual Conference Rob Adams, Mayor of Sedona Program at a Glance Gerry Whipple, Councilmember of Show Low Bob Rivera, Mayor of Thatcher Alan Krieger, Mayor of Yuma FeatURE 10 Headwinds Temper Near-Term Outlook for Arizona’s Cities and Towns League Staff EXECUTIve DIRectOR Ken Strobeck COMMUNIcatION & EDUcatION DIRectOR Matt Lore EDITOR Arizona City & Town is published EDITOR: Deanna Strange Mary Vinzant by Innovative Publishing Ink. GRAPHIC DESIGNER: Nathan Cole 10629 Henning Way, Suite 8 SALES REPRESENTATIVE: Richard Ochsner GRAPHIC SUppORT Louisville, Kentucky 40241 PRODUCTION MANAGER: Shannon Patterson Phone 502.423.7272 MARKETING: Richard Ochsner Randle Kuehner Fax 502.423.7979 COPY EDITOR: Michael Adkins Spark Design Innovative Publishing Ink specializes in creating custom magazines for associations and businesses. Please direct all inquiries to Aran Jackson, at [email protected]. www.ipipub.com Published July 2011 2011 July Published Arizona City & Town 3 CURTIS GOODWIN SULLIVAN UDALL & SCHWAB ElectionsElections • Open Meeting Law • Code Revisions ZoningZoning •• PublicPublic RecordsRecords •• ConstructionConstruction AA TraditionTradition PersonnelPersonnel andand Personnel Policies • ConflConflicts icts CellCell TowerTower SitingSiting •• Water,Water, Sewer, Power ofof ExcellenceExcellence CableCable TVTV • Sales Tax Collection FACTActFACTAct Compliance Assisting Arizona’s city and town attorneys. WeWe cancan help!help! Contact Susan Goodwin 501 East Thomas Road, Phoenix, Arizona 8501285012 (602) 393-1700 [email protected] 4 League of Arizona Cities and Towns 474187_Curtis.indd 1 4/23/10 2:10:12 PM MESSAGE FROM THE PRESIDENT Cities Mean Business The theme of this issue of Arizona City & Town is “Cities Mean Business.” If it looks familiar, it should. This is also the theme of our upcoming annual conference in Tucson. As the mayor of Tucson, I take this theme to heart. As the national and Arizona economies begin to show slight signs of improvement, I know that it is the cities and towns in our state that will help to catalyze this recovery. Cities do indeed mean business, and as such, we need to continue to look at innovative ways to cultivate our tra- ditional economic drivers such as tourism, in addition to attracting new and emerging technologies that will spur job creation and economic development in our state. This process begins in our cities and towns. In addition, “Cities Mean Business” also demon- strates our dedication and commitment to serving our citizens through the most efficient and productive means possible. Each and every day, cities and towns deliver essential services, and create viable and thriving communities where our citizens can live, work and play. For cities and towns, providing a high quality of life is our business. In this issue of Arizona City & Town, you will find articles on topics that will be explored in more depth at our annual conference later this month. These include an article on Arizona’s economic forecast and the role cities and towns will play in our recovery, as well as the importance of tourism as a vital economic force in our state. I hope you enjoy this issue, and, more important- ly, I hope to see you in Tucson on August 30 at our 2011 annual conference. Robert Walkup League President Mayor, City of Tucson Arizona City & Town 5 MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR The Economic Engine It’s been said before, and it’s abso- opportunity, cities and towns must be an integral part of the lutely true: cities and towns are the effort. The facts speak for themselves. economic engines of the state of Working together, we do have an opportunity to retool Arizona. But what does that really our economic prospects by attracting a diverse group of mean? This topic will be explored industries that may not have considered Arizona before. in the pages of this edition of the Great strides are being made in the renewable energy sec- League magazine and also at our tor, but there are more areas that warrant exploration. We annual conference in Tucson. If we need to capitalize on our proven strengths and expand our are going to be successful as a state horizons to include new businesses that may not have been in attracting new jobs, in growing major players in the state before. Our location in the West and diversifying the economy and makes Arizona an excellent place for transportation hubs, in recovering from a historically severe recession, we must un- distribution facilities, manufacturing and beyond. These derstand how the Arizona economy actually works. challenging times offer our state an opportunity to redefine The numbers are quite amazing. Out of a state with more our strengths and seize new opportunities. than 114,000 square miles and a population of around 6.5 Whatever the future brings, cities and towns will always be million people, more than 5 million — more than 82 percent at the forefront of the Arizona economy. — live in one of our 91 incorporated cities and towns. And, when it comes to employment statistics, nearly 90 percent of the state’s jobs are based in cities and towns. Together, the economic activity within cities and towns produces around Ken Strobeck 91 percent of the state income tax and 93 percent of the Executive Director state’s sales tax proceeds. No wonder that cities and towns mean business in Arizona. This time around, we must learn from the boom-and- bust cycles of our economic past and capitalize on the opportunities we have before us. Why are cities and towns the center of economic activity in Arizona? Because we have visionary leaders who have helped make our cities attractive places to live, profitable places for businesses to locate, and where the infrastructure and municipal services are of the highest quality and are reliable. As policymakers at the state level seek to recruit new business to the state and create new jobs and economic 6 League of Arizona Cities and Towns 1 2 3 1. Main Street – Bisbee, Arizona Photo courtesy of the Arizona Office of Tourism TraveL and Tourism KEY 2. Route 66 – Williams, Arizona Photo courtesy of the Arizona Office of Tourism, © 2008 Kerrick James to AriZona’S 3. Downtown Phoenix, Arizona by Kiva Couchon, Photo courtesy of the Arizona Office of Tourism, Steve Craft Arizona Office 4. Whiskey Row – Prescott, Arizona Economic Success of Tourism Photo courtesy of the Arizona Office of Tourism, PACT s one of America’s largest Travel and tourism is the only and experience someplace new like industries, the travel and export-oriented industry in our state Arizona. We promote this to our own tourism industry has a wide- generating revenue throughout all 15 residents, to the nation and around the spread economic impact. Di- counties. Although the industry is rep- world. We do this because the business rectA spending by resident and international resented primarily by businesses in the of tourism is currently one of the most travelers in the United States averages $1.9 leisure and hospitality sector, transpor- lucrative businesses in the state! billion a day, $80 million an hour, $1.3 mil- tation and retail, it reaches far beyond Whether the traveler is buying gas lion a minute and $22,300 a second, these business sectors. Scores of busi- and snacks at the local convenience according to the U.S. Travel Association. nesses large and small, such as Jeep tours store, buying clothes at the local mall In Arizona, evidence of the economic and boutique stores, exist because of our or specialty boutique store, paying the impact from travel and tourism industry visitor industry. It also creates business entrance fee to one of Arizona’s vari- is equally far-reaching. In 2009, more for printers, florists, landscapers, laun- ous statewide attractions, eating the than 35 million visitors experienced Ari- dry firms and food suppliers that provide local cuisine at an area restaurant or zona as a leisure and business destina- goods and services to the direct tourism staying at a local hotel or resort, this tion. Direct traveler spending generated businesses — all of which work together economic activity creates a cycle that $16.6 billion for our state. That is nearly to keep the travel and tourism industry keeps Arizona’s economy moving in $45 million being contributed to our functioning as a major economic driver the right direction. economy every single day. for Arizona. This money flowed through the In an effort to increase this eco- Arizona economy and directly generated nomic impact, the Arizona Office of 4 more than 157,000 industry-related jobs. Tourism works to promote Arizona as Combined with the secondary employ- a premier leisure and business destina- ment that is generated through this tion to a global audience.