"You've
got to shoot the rabbits while you hunt the elephants." Some of you may
have read this quote attributed to me in The Arizona Republic. I'm a firm
believer that while we are working towards our big goals and issues, we still
need to take care of the small issues and the steps necessary to keep our
city and neighborhoods safe and operating to provide the services our constituents
expect.
While we are preparing for the possibility of a terrorist attack on our country,
or even our city, we must continue to ensure that our neighborhoods are secure
from the local criminals that terrorize us. Who hasn't been a victim of crime,
or had someone in your family, a neighbor or friend a victim? That is why
the City Council and I have continued to support our Police Department by
eliminating barriers to recruitment, adding officers to the police force through
annual budget increases, changing recruitment policies to add officers into
training before vacancies occur, supporting the DROP program to keep senior
officers on the job longer, appointing an ad hoc committee to evaluate how
to improve the Police Department to get a better handle on crime and approving
the purchase of new equipment so officers can better perform their jobs.
Our biggest show of support to our Police Department was the approval of
the current budget. Not only did the Council reinstate all positions and programs
proposed in the budget cuts, but also we supported adding officers to fight
crime in our neighborhoods (read related article on budget
update). Thanks to many of you from the neighborhoods who worked with
us to develop this budget.
My colleagues and I are committed to and unquestionably support our police
officers. Our actions have demonstrated a willingness to provide our officers
with the support and tools necessary to get the job done. My primary concern
and interests are in the welfare and safety of the neighborhoods in District
5 and the city of Phoenix.
We have two new hospital/medical centers in the West Valley — Vanguard,
located at McDowell Road and approximately 136th Avenue, and Banner Estrella
Medical Center, located at the southwest corner of 91st Avenue and Thomas
Road, that will include a full-service hospital, medical office buildings
and an outpatient surgery center. Banner's 50-acre campus will open in November
2004 with 165 beds.
Continental
Villas West, bounded by 17th to 19th avenues, Maryland Avenue to Rose Lane,
was experiencing ongoing problems with trash pick-up in the alleys. The large
city trucks were causing some problems in the alley, and since the black containers
were so large, they caused traffic problems. Residents worked diligently with
the city's Public Works Department and came up with a creative solution. The
large black containers were replaced with 32-gallon containers issued to each
household and the large truck was replaced with a much smaller truck. This
is a great example of involved residents working in partnership with the city
to solve neighborhood problems.
The City Council approved budget reductions totaling $72 million Feb. 18
to balance the 2003-04 budget. As you are aware, these are challenging economic
times. As a result of receiving public input at 13 community budget hearings,
the City Council felt it critical to add positions to the Police Department
rather than reduce positions as proposed. The City Council knows that the
safety and welfare of our residents are our number one priority. To that end,
the Council approved adding 71 sworn officers. The officer-to-population ratio
will increase to 2.1 officers for each 1,000 residents, which is the highest
in the city's history. Also, the budget next year for the Police Department
will increase an additional $16.7 million.
As a result of listening to public input, the Council also approved restoring
weekend graffiti removal, graffiti detectives, the graffiti hotline, mounted
patrol, special projects unit, community programs unit, recruitment team,
youth alcohol squad, summer youth jobs program and funding to purchase library
materials.
Thanks to all who came to the budget hearings to express your ideas and concerns.
District
5 Web Site Offers Residents
Information at Your Fingertips
Imagine finding everything you need in one location. If you have a computer
and want to know about issues in District 5, check out our Web site at: phoenix.gov/DISTRICT5.
You can read
about: Councilman Mattox and his staff, hot issues, calendar of events, neighborhood
programs and services, volunteer opportunities, new development and art projects
in the district, street closures, and District 5 villages.
Find out: Who your community action officer is, about crime statistics in
your area, when the uncontained quarterly trash pick-up is and who the District
5 neighborhood association leaders are.
Look up: Libraries and parks, school districts, family and community centers,
fire stations, police precincts and bus schedules.
Search for: Information on planned development, liquor licenses or rezoning
applications.
Submit a: Board and Commission application, community success story or blighted
property.
We're always looking for feedback about the site and its content. Please
e-mail us at claude.mattox@phoenix.gov
or call 602-262-7446.
District
5 Mobile Office: Coming to a Park Near You
In an effort to get to know more of you, I will be visiting you in the city's
mobile office trailer. See the schedule on this page.
We are scheduled to be at parks throughout the district during certain hours
on Saturday mornings. Feel free to drop by anytime to discuss city issues
or just to say "hi."
There are some exciting new developments in the Tomahawk Village Block Watch
Association area, a neighborhood located between Camelback and Indian School
roads from 75th to 83rd avenues. Since October 2002, resources from a Community
Development Block Grant (CDBG) have made possible free, weekly English as
a Second Language (ESL) classes. Nearly 50 adults attend evening classes at
Tomahawk Elementary School and morning classes at Calvary United Methodist
Church.
A creative collaboration between the church, the school, city of Phoenix
Parks and Recreation Department and neighborhood volunteers has made it possible
to offer early childhood development activities during the classes, without
which most parents would be unable to attend.
As part of the program, once a month, the city's Neighborhood Services Department
hosts a "Good Neighbor Program" class in Spanish for the residents. To date,
there have been presentations on drug awareness, neighborhood speeding, burglary
prevention and the Silent Witness Program. In addition to the development
of their English language skills, students are making new friends, attending
Tomahawk Village's monthly meetings and delivering neighborhood newsletters.
In 1999 the city of Phoenix Aviation Department completed a land exchange
of nearly 1,000 acres with the city of Surprise to protect Luke Air Force
Base from incompatible development around the base. Phoenix traded an old
auxiliary landing field it owned in Surprise for land adjacent to Luke Air
Force Base. Surprise agreed to develop its site in a manner that would not
impact Luke, and Phoenix agreed to hold the 1,000 acres near Litchfield Road
and Northern Avenue to prevent future encroachment on the base. The city of
Phoenix will continue to support and protect one of our region's great assets,
Luke Air Force Base.
In hopes of eliminating preventable accidents and creating safer homes, the
United Phoenix Fire Fighters Association created saverkids.org.
Log on to this interactive Web site for water safety events and activities,
CPR instructions, home-escape plans and more.
The city has been working with the Legislative Task Force to write some legislation
to help solve the ongoing problem in neighborhoods of sex offender clustering.
Hopefully, a striker, or addition, will be added concerning sex offenders
to HB 2301, Criminal Extradition. It basically deals with residency restriction
for registered sex offenders and requires all registered sex offenders to
live at least 1,320 feet apart.
Have you noticed that the large plumes of dust previously coming from the
Aqua Fria River Bottom are gone? As a result of the Bureau of Land Management
closing the area to the public, the area is now free of dust. Thanks for your
patience during this two-year-long process of working with city, county, state
and federal governments to solve this problem.
Have you seen a driver speeding down a residential street? Or maybe a reckless
driver? The city of Phoenix has a telephone number where you can call and
report the date of the incident, time and license plate number. The Police
Department will then send out a letter to the registered owner requesting
that the driver refrain from this behavior. Call Officer Terry Sills at 602-534-7733.
For the year 2002, the District 5 office opened 1,402 constituent
cases and closed 1,356 cases. As always, our office is ready to help you with
any of your neighborhood issues. Feel free to call us any time we can be of
assistance to you at 602-262-7446 or e-mail me at claude.mattox@phoenix.gov.
Would you like to be on District 5's e-mail list to receive Councilman Mattox's
monthly article and other current information that needs to be conveyed in
a timely manner? Please call us at 602-262-7446 with your e-mail address or
e-mail us at rebecca.woods@phoenix.gov.
The city has been working with Rep. John Nelson on legislation to curtail
the growing problems resulting from cruising. HB2386 provides police with
additional authority to effectively address the problems associated with cruising,
which negatively impacts the quality of life of nearby neighborhoods and businesses
by making such activity a class one misdemeanor.
"Westside Story" is posted on the city's Web site at www.phoenix.gov.
For alternative format/reasonable accommodations, call 602-262-7176 or TTY
602-534-5500.
Your comments, suggestions and story ideas are welcome by calling Councilman
Mattox at 602-262-7446,
e-mail claude.mattox@phoenix.gov or mail
to City of Phoenix, 200 W. Washington St., 11th Floor, Phoenix, AZ 85003.
Message from Councilman Claude Mattox 
"You've
got to shoot the rabbits while you hunt the elephants." Some of you may
have read this quote attributed to me in The Arizona Republic. I'm a firm
believer that while we are working towards our big goals and issues, we still
need to take care of the small issues and the steps necessary to keep our
city and neighborhoods safe and operating to provide the services our constituents
expect. 
Continental
Villas West, bounded by 17th to 19th avenues, Maryland Avenue to Rose Lane,
was experiencing ongoing problems with trash pick-up in the alleys. The large
city trucks were causing some problems in the alley, and since the black containers
were so large, they caused traffic problems. Residents worked diligently with
the city's Public Works Department and came up with a creative solution. The
large black containers were replaced with 32-gallon containers issued to each
household and the large truck was replaced with a much smaller truck. This
is a great example of involved residents working in partnership with the city
to solve neighborhood problems. 
You can read
about: Councilman Mattox and his staff, hot issues, calendar of events, neighborhood
programs and services, volunteer opportunities, new development and art projects
in the district, street closures, and District 5 villages. 
