Voters Weigh $452 Million in Bonds

PHOENIX-Voters in the suburb of Scottsdale will go the polls Tuesday to decide on the city’s first bond issue in more than a decade—a $451.7-million package to improve the city’s infrastructure.

Residents can approve some parts of the package and reject others. For example, they might OK the proposed issuance of $125.7 in bonds for libraries and parks, but vote against raising $6.4 million to buy two new police helicopters and build a facility to service them.

Money to repay any bonds that are approved will be generated by an increase in commercial and residential property taxes. If all nine spending provisions on the ballot are approved, the owner of a house assessed at $175,000 would see an increase of about $126 in the annual bill in 2007.

In addition to the libraries and park issue, some of the other big-ticket proposals would raise $126 million for street and transportation improvements; $25.3 million for flood-control projects; $71.3 million to build a city office building and other municipal facilites; $48.7 million for public-safety facilities, and $12.9 million for low-income housing.