Ocotillo Road - Greenfield to Higley - ST0540 - City of Gilbert

Site work and paving for a mixed-use development in Gilbert, Arizona. Conceptual plans call for site work for a road / highway; and sidewalk / parking lot. https://www.gilbertsunnews.com/news/council-approves-69-annual-budget-increase/article_d9a14374-ee90-11ec-96d5-1303295b9d48.html Council approves 69% annual budget increase Gilbert residents will see more shade structures at Cosmo Dog Park, road repairs, 12 new traffic signals and more police and firefighters when the Town's $1.7 billion spending plan takes effect July 1. Council on June 14 approved the Fiscal Year 2023 budget and set the secondary property tax levy at $29.6 million last week on a 5-2 vote. No one from the public spoke. The bulk - or $1.05 billion - of the new budget, which is 69% higher than the previous fiscal year budget, is going to capital improvement projects such as building a bridge to connect Ocotillo Road and the reconstruction of the North Water Treatment Plant, the largest capital project in Gilbert's history. The remaining $620 million will go to areas like the General Fund, Enterprise Fund and debt service. With 15,000 residents moving into Gilbert over the past two years, the budget includes hiring 79 employees, mostly in public safety - 24 cops and 19 firefighters. The funding for all the new positions totaled $10.4 million. "I want the public to understand as we approve a budget, it's the maximum - we can't spend more than that," Councilwoman Kathy Tilque said. "But that doesn't mean we will spend it all. What happens throughout the year is these items come back to council and we prioritize those and we give approval for spending money." Budget Director Kelly Pfost added that the budget has contingencies that need council approval but that it also provides flexibility to take advantage of opportunities that may come up during the year. "On the capital improvement side, we want to make sure we have the money to back up any of the contracts that we've signed and those are some large contracts," Pfost said. "Although not all of the work will get completed during the year, we have enough money for the full contracts that we've signed with different vendors to be able to pay that." Vice Mayor Aimee Yentes explained why she could not support the budget, saying that her comments are not meant to be disrespectful or demoralizing to staff. Yentes said she often pulls spending items off the consent agenda for discussion because of cost or if she thinks it's overspending or wasteful. But, she noted, 95% of the agenda items are passed unanimously. "I have a very deep conviction that the more money we can keep in taxpayers' pockets the better," Yentes said. "I don't take exception to lot of things we spend money on. I understand and appreciate the fact that we have to fund government to a level that provides services that people expect and to make sure water come out of the faucets and roads gets fixed and somebody responds when you call for emergencies." That said, Yentes added she had a problem with how the Town spends money on transportation. "I'm concerned with the direction some of that is going," said Yentes, who is finishing her final year in office. "I don't feel comfortable supporting the budget that is going to redefine, re-imagine, redesign our streets and make it more congested in the future. "I'm not supportive of putting money into studies that are going to bring additional public transit that nobody's going to ride." __________________________________________- Design and construction of Ocotillo Road from approximately1/4 mile east of Greenfield Road to Higley Road to minor arterial standards. The project includes crossings over the Queen Creek Wash, East Maricopa Floodway, Roosevelt Water Conservation District Canal and Chandler Heights Basin. The project includes the relocation of 69kV power lines and access into the proposed Gilbert Regional Park. Fiber conduit and cable will be added from Higley Road to Greenfield. As of October 21, 2021, this project is currently in the FY 2022-2031 CIP . Funding for this project is allotted in the city's capital improvement plan for construction Fy 2023. A firm timeline has not been established; however, construction is scheduled for Fiscal Year 2023. *Project information has been obtained through a public capital improvement plan (CIP). A CIP is a financial schedule for short- and long-range projects which is updated regularly. Information listed in the CIP often evolves based on funding availability and the project details, including timeline and value, are subject to change. The content management team will continue to pursue additional details as they become available.

Division 01 -	General Requirements, Vehicular Access and Parking, Traffic Control, Temporary Barriers and Enclosures.
Division 32 -	Exterior Improvements, Flexible Paving, Asphalt Paving, Rigid Paving, Concrete Paving, Paving Specialties, Pavement Markings.
Division 33 -	Utilities, Storm Drainage Utilities, Storm Drainage Structures.