Election Day is Tuesday. Here's a breakdown of what Arizonans will be voting on
Election Day is Tuesday for cities and school districts across the state seeking a combined $4 billion in bond sales for a wide range of projects.
More than a dozen school districts are seeking cash to improve campus security with things like bulletproof windows, while numerous Phoenix-area cities are asking for funds to bolster their struggling public safety departments.
Meanwhile, the majority of Tucson’s leadership is facing reelection. And tiny Litchfield Park could make history by becoming Arizona’s first new charter city in four decades.
Residents who haven’t voted yet must either drop off their ballot or vote in person by 7 p.m. election night, Nov. 7. The mail-in ballot deadline has already passed.
Live results at 8 p.m. Election Day: Arizona election results
Here’s where voters can find in-person and drop-off voting locations:
Maricopa County voters can search for both ballot drop boxes and in-person voting sites on the county’s election website.
Tucson has multiple early voting sites and Election Day voting locations. The addresses are available at https://storageccec.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/public/docs/947-Pima-23-November-Sites-TABLE.pdf.
Flagstaff’s two ballot replacement sites and drop box locations are posted on the city’s elections page.
Any resident who is registered by Oct. 10 can cast a ballot. Here’s what communities across the state will be voting on.
Low turnout ahead: 13% of Phoenix voters have mailed in ballots for 2023 election so far
Big year for city bond elections, $1B combined ask
Five cities and towns throughout the Phoenix area are asking for permission to take on bond debt to fund a variety of projects. Combined, towns and cities are asking for more than $1 billion.
Phoenix is asking residents to approve $500 million in bond debt to fund a list of projects in four separate questions. Projects include $133 million worth of public safety infrastructure, $64 million for park upgrades and $82 million for streets and storm drainage. Phoenix would pay back the debt for the next 23 years.
A yes vote would greenlight the projects without raising residents' secondary property tax rates. The approval would also relieve the city's annual operating budget by reducing costs associated with fixing and maintaining deteriorating infrastructure.
Voting no means the city wouldn't take on more debt, which would leave the projects unfunded. It would force city officials to come out of pocket for critical infrastructure projects, to the detriment of city programs. Plus, a myriad of projects would go unfunded because of the cost.
Glendale residents will vote on two questions to decide on $160 million worth of bond debt that would fund two buckets of projects. Glendale officials don’t expect taxes to increase if the ballot item passes and the city would pay off the debt in 20 to 25 years.
The first project group includes $82 million worth of street and intersection improvements. It would cover things like local road construction, signage, congestion reduction and landscaping.
The second funds a $78 million investment into public safety facilities and modernization. It includes building and modernizing local police stations, fire stations and police/fire training facilities.
Voters in Surprise are deciding whether to pass a $100 million bond effort that’s aimed at preparing the city for continuing growth. It would fund eight projects in total that would be completed by 2029. City tax rates are not expected to increase.
$66 million would be used for transportation projects that deal with reducing traffic congestion. It would add lanes, improve intersections and prepare for future Loop 303 connections on five road segments.
The remaining $34 million would go toward improving public safety response times and maintaining the city’s current level of service as the population grows. It includes three projects, including a new 16,000-square-foot fire station in the northwest part of the city.
Goodyear’s bond election is its first in the past two decades. The city is asking for $232 million in bond funding to cover three groups of projects. Officials don’t expect property taxes to increase if the ballot measure passes.
The first funding area includes $135 million to design and improve streets within the city, as well as intersections, traffic signals, streetlights and underground utility lines. The second is an $80 million public safety package to improve training facilities, vehicles and equipment.
The remaining $17 million parks and recreation bond will fund the construction and improvement of parks and recreational facilities. It will also fund the acquisition of additional land for bike and pedestrian paths, as well as improve existing paths and trails.
El Mirage’s $42 million bond package is focused on preparing the city for future growth. About $21.5 million of the bond money would go toward public safety facilities, while $20 million would go toward city facilities.
One specific project includes building a $19 million fire station on 2.5 acres in the southern part of the city. It’s expected to help first responders keep up with the increase in emergency calls, which has skyrocketed by 142% over the past 20 years.
If passed, the bond measure will result in an increase in secondary property taxes. But the rate will vary depending on property values and the amount of bonds issued, according to the city's website.
Long supported by voters: Mesa school bond election measures now face GOP opposition
Other city elections: From historic charter changes to a new hospital
Three other Arizona cities are voting on leadership positions or how they are legally organized.
Litchfield Park could become the first Arizona community in about four decades to adopt a new charter, which is similar to a city’s constitution.
Charters allow the community to create its own sets of rules, whether it be a traffic law or city sales tax. The vast majority of Phoenix-area communities already have one, but Litchfield Park has been operating under state law as a non-charter city.
Voters will also elect 14 “freeholders” who will draft the city charter if voters decide to pursue it. Sticking with the charter-constitution analogy, the freeholders will be similar to the delegates at the 1787 Constitutional Convention.
Tucson will decide whether to keep Mayor Regina Romero in the office she’s held since 2019 or replace her after just a single term.
She faces three challengers. The Democratic incumbent will face off against Republican Janet “JL” Wittenbraker, independent candidate Ed Ackerley and Libertarian Arthur Kerschen.
There are also three City Council positions up for grabs in Wards 1, 2 and 4. And residents will decide whether to increase elected officials’ salaries via Proposition 413.
Flagstaff voters will have 20 items on their ballot to consider, 19 having to do with changes to the city charter — the first amendments in eight years.
The proposed charter tweaks range from making it easier for officials to approve city contracts without a public process, to reducing the number of signatures candidates need to secure a place on the ballot, to nixing rules that require top city executives to live inside Flagstaff.
The non-charter ballot item has to do with rezoning nearly 100 acres of undeveloped land south of Flagstaff for the construction of a new hospital by Northern Arizona Healthcare.
Nearly two dozen school district elections, seeking billions worth of bonds
There are 23 school districts in the Phoenix Valley holding elections Tuesday. Some are asking for permission to sell district-owned land, but most are either looking for bond approval or a budget override. Overrides allow a district to increase its budget by up to 15% for seven years to pay operational expenses, such as teacher staffing.
Among the 18 districts proposing a bond measure, they are asking for nearly $3 billion combined.
Agua Fria Union High School District
The district is seeking approval for a $197 million bond measure for projects that range from a new high school campus, to safety and security improvements at all high schools and facilities, to new school buses. The estimated yearly tax rate for the bond is 39 cents for $100 of assessed property value.
Alhambra Elementary School District
The district is seeking approval to sell four parcels of land. The first three sites encompass vacant land adjacent to the district office, and the fourth is where the Alhambra Preschool Center is located. Portions of the land might be sold to build affordable housing and the sales will have no tax impact.
Avondale Elementary School District
The district is seeking a $75 million bond measure for safety and security upgrades, facility maintenance, new school construction, and the purchase of school buses, furniture, equipment and technology. The estimated yearly tax rate for the bond is 48 cents for $100 of assessed property value.
Deer Valley Unified School District
The district is seeking a $325 million bond measure that would fund safety and security enhancement, along with a slew of other upgrades such as the replacement of school buses and the construction of a new high school. The estimated yearly tax rate for the bond is 70 cents for $100 of assessed property value.
District officials are also asking for the renewal of a maintenance and operations budget override of 15% for everything from salaries, to maintaining class sizes, to full-day kindergarten programs. The continued annual cost of the override to the average homeowner in the district is $255.29.
Fountain Hills Unified School District
The district is asking for a $25 million bond measure for safety and security improvements, repair of aging school buildings, maintenance of buildings, and a number of other similar efforts. The estimated yearly tax rate for the bond is 26 cents for $100 of assessed property value.
Voters will also decide whether to approve the sale of a roughly 4-acre district-owned property. The sale will have no additional tax impact.
Fowler Elementary School District
The district wants voters to renew a budget override of 15% for maintaining staffing levels, class sizes, staff salaries, student library and health services and art, physical education, band and other special programs, and retaining assistant principals. The continued yearly cost of the override to the average homeowner in the district is $90.84.
Gila Bend Unified School District
Gila Bend Unified is also asking for the renewal of a 15% budget override for maintaining or reducing student-to-teacher ratios, maintaining full-day kindergarten and supporting special activity programs. The continued yearly cost of the override to the average homeowner in the district is $25.15.
Gilbert Unified School District
Gilbert Unified is asking voters to approve $100 million worth of bond debt for projects such as renovating and expanding performing arts facilities, addressing athletic stadium safety concerns and bolstering school security measures. The estimated yearly tax rate for the bond is 31 cents for $100 of assessed property value.
It’s also asking voters to renew a 15% budget override for things like teacher and staff salaries. The continued yearly cost of the override to the average homeowner in the district is $326.73.
Glendale Elementary School District
Glendale Elementary is asking for a $40 million bond measure for infrastructure and equipment upgrades. The estimated yearly tax rate for the bond is 71 cents for $100 of assessed property value.
The district is also seeking the renewal of a 15% budget override for things like school supplies and staffing, an additional assistance budget override for things such as safety and security infrastructure, and permission to sell 18 acres of district-owned land.
The estimated continued yearly cost of the existing override for the average homeowner in the district is $246.30. The additional override would add another $165.10.
Kyrene Elementary School District
The district wants approval for a $161 million bond to fund security upgrades and infrastructure projects. The estimated yearly tax rate for the bond is 27 cents for $100 of assessed property value.
It’s also asking for a budget override that will bolster the bond’s security funding, as well as cover the cost of things like instructional materials. The yearly cost of the override for the average homeowner would be $98.65.
Liberty Elementary School District
Liberty Elementary is asking voters to approve a $97.4 million bond measure that would fund everything from the construction of two new schools to safety and security upgrades. The estimated yearly tax rate for the bond is 86 cents for $100 of assessed property value.
Litchfield Elementary School District
District voters will decide whether to approve a $100 million bond measure that would fund a long list of projects, including the construction of a new school, safety and security renovations and renovations to existing buildings. The estimated yearly tax rate for the bond is 41 cents for $100 of assessed property value.
Littleton Elementary School District
The district wants voters to approve a budget override of 15% for staffing, reducing class sizes and maintaining student programs such as full-day kindergarten. The continued yearly cost of the override to the average homeowner in the district is $212.10.
Madison Elementary School District
The district is seeking a $105 million bond measure for things such as safety and security improvements, preventative maintenance on all buildings and transportation vehicles. The estimated yearly tax rate for the bond is 61 cents for $100 of assessed property value.
Officials also want voters to renew a 15% budget override for things such as staff retention and student support services. The continued yearly cost of the override to the average homeowner in the district is $138.68.
Mesa Unified School District
Mesa Unified is asking for a massive $500 million bond measure that would fund a long list of safety measures, building renovations, and technology devices for students and staff. The estimated yearly tax rate for the bond is 98 cents for $100 of assessed property value.
The district is also asking for a renewal of a 15% budget override for things like reducing class sizes and hiring security staffers. The continued yearly cost of the override to the average homeowner in the district would be $297.11.
Osborn Elementary School District
Osborn Elementary is asking for a $100 million bond package to fund projects such as the construction of new facilities, instructional technology equipment and network upgrades. The estimated yearly tax rate for the bond is $1.11 for $100 of assessed property value.
The district is also seeking an additional assistance budget override for things like instructional materials and school grounds repairs. The yearly cost of that initiative would be $41.72 for the average homeowner.
Paradise Valley Unified School District
Paradise Valley Unified is proposing a $340 million bond measure for efforts such as upgrading technology infrastructure and buying school buses. The bond would also include funds for a new school if one is needed to accommodate growth. The estimated yearly tax rate for the bond is 47 cents for $100 of assessed property value.
Pendergast Elementary School District
The district is seeking approval of a $100 million bond measure to upgrade buildings, so they meet safety standards, security upgrades and a slew of other infrastructure improvements. The estimated yearly tax rate for the bond is $1.08 per $100 of assessed property value.
Pendergast Elementary is also asking voters to renew a 15% budget override for things like maintaining class sizes and funding full-day kindergarten. The continued yearly cost of the override to the average homeowner in the district would be $209.78.
Phoenix Union High School District
The district is asking for a $475 million bond measure to fund a massive list of efforts, ranging from the construction of a small new school building to athletic facility improvements. The estimated yearly tax rate for the bond is $1.08 for $100 of assessed property value.
Queen Creek Unified School District
Queen Creek Unified is seeking approval of a $98 million bond measure to fund projects that include security upgrades and building new schools. The estimated yearly tax rate for the bond is 33 cents for $100 of assessed property value.
The district is also asking voters to renew a 15% budget override for things like maintaining school security and class sizes. The continued yearly cost of the override to the average homeowner in the district is $426.26.
Scottsdale Unified School District
Scottsdale Unified is also asking for the renewal of a 15% budget override. The cash would be used for things like maintaining class sizes and staffing. The continued yearly cost of the override to the average homeowner in the district is $173.78.
Tolleson Elementary School District
Tolleson Elementary is proposing a $30 million bond measure to fund projects ranging from renovations at existing school facilities, to the installation of bulletproof windows. The estimated yearly tax rate for the bond is 57 cents for $100 of assessed property value.
Tolleson Union High School District
The district is asking voters to approve a $125 million bond measure for efforts such as safety and security enhancements and the construction of additional school buildings. The estimated yearly tax rate for the bond is 38 cents for $100 of assessed property value.
Arizona Republic reporters Taylor Seely, Alexandra Hardle, Madeleine Parrish, Isabella Zarate, Sarah Lapidus, and Lacey Latch contributed to this article.
This article originally appeared on Arizona Republic: Arizona election 2023: School districts, cities seek $4B in bonds
