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Gallego, DiCiccio land fire station for W. Ahwatukee
INSIDE
This Week
BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor
T NEWS .............................. 6 Lakes Course battle over $2 million penalty nears end. .......
he western communities of Ahwatukee will have a fully operating city fire station closer to homes within the next two years, thanks to Mayor Kate Gallego and city Councilman Sal DiCiccio. Gallego and the DiCiccio worked with City Manager Jeff Barton to include the station’s construction on city-owned land on the
northwest corner of 19th Avenue and Chandler Boulevard in the 2023-24 capital budget. Moreover, when the station opens, it will be immediately manned by a fully trained staff that will be entering the training academy in the next fiscal year because the two officials also have secured $3 million in the 2023-24 operating budget – and $3 million annually after that – to cover operational costs. The trial budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1 is scheduled to be released to-
REAL ESTATE................. RE1
Over a dozen businesses and individuals were honored with Ahwatukee Chamber Impact Awards
Logan McBride, 3, carefully examines the interior of a UPS delivery truck as she and hundreds of other kids rolled onto the campus of God’s Garden Preschool in Ahwatukee for its 22nd annual Transportation Day Feb. 11. Youngsters and their adult partners had a chance to explore dozens of trucks and other vehicles at one of Ahwatukee’s longest running community events. For more scenes from the event, see page 18. (David Minton/AFN Staff Photographer)
WINTER IS HERE, ARE YOU PREPARED:
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FIRE page 10
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BUSINESS ...................... 30
2021
see
BY PAUL MARYNIAK AFN Executive Editor
Phoenix’s Office of Government Relations thinks the city will benefit from a bill limiting zoning powers
COMMUNITY ............................. 23 BUSINESS ..................................... 30 OPINION ..................................... 35 SPORTS ........................................ 39 GETOUT ....................................... 44 CLASSIFIEDS ............................... 49
morrow, Feb. 16. The Ahwatukee facility is the only fire station included in the 2023-24 capital budget. “It’s very exciting for that community and we’re moving forward,” Gallego told AFN in an interview. “We will have response times there that will be the envy of the rest of the city.” DiCiccio agreed.
City forecasts water rate increases but rewards conservation
Little inspector
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nflation and shrinking Colorado River water allocations for Arizona are prompting the Phoenix city administration to propose a 6.5% increase in water rates this year instead of a previously forecasted 3.5% with increases in each of the next five years ranging from 5% to 13%. In addition, sewer rates would rise by 6.5% this year with subsequent annual increases through 2028 ranging from 6.5% to 9%, according to a report that a City Council subcommittee was scheduled to discuss today, Feb. 15. But the actual impact of those rate increases on monthly water bills would be substantially less for at least a fifth of all singlefamily homes because the city is in effect see
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WATER page 14