Phoenix Mountain Preserves - Aug 1st... Ante Up!

[Booneman]

I'm sure some of you have seen or heard about the parking fees.
http://www.azcentral.com/

[PLC92084]

The fees are more of a gouge than here in CA!! We get nailed $5 a day to park but annual passes are $35 (until our government a-holes see what your government a-holes are getting away with...)

Ouch!!

[big_load]

That's a bit much. I wonder how reliable their fee collection system will be.

[John9L]

There were two points to the article that really jumped out at me. For one, they will only hand out notices to anyone without the permit for the first six months. As long as this holds up I for one will not pay a dime until it's absolutely mandatory.

The other point I noticed is about parking in residential areas. I have been hiking Camelback (Cholla side) for 10 years and have been parking on a side street north of Cholla lane. I'm afraid they are going to restrict parking in these areas. On busy weekends, it can be hard to find a place to park. Less parking spots means folks will have to find somewhere else to hike. I'm curious to see where this goes.

For the first six months of the program, no one without a pass will be fined. But notices will go on windshields, noting the new fees and how they can pay for the pass.

The city will have to monitor whether people opt to park in residential neighborhoods, rather than pay for parking. One option is to put up no-parking signs or create a residential permit.

[oldmdo]

Parks are never free, that's what taxes are for.

[Sun_Ray]

Sad but not surprised. If you hike in these area's a lot get the annual pass....... makes life easier.

[hippiepunkpirate]

Hmmm...the $20 Red Rock Annual Pass seems like a steal now!

[big_load]

Hmmm...the $20 Red Rock Annual Pass seems like a steal now!

Just wait, they'll turn that into another one that gets you admission only, not parking.

[Tortoise_Hiker]

Hmmmmmmmmmm 75 seems HIGH a State Park Pass is only 50! Like the State Park Pass though, the money goes into a general fund. It's not like it will be spent on the PARKS! Errrrrr!

[Sredfield]

Mayor's Office's contact form:

http://phoenix.gov/mayor/emmayor/index.html

[Davis2001r6]

This makes me sick and I don't even live there anymore.

[joebartels]

http://phoenix.gov/PRL/passupdate.html

During the introductory period, a six month pass will cost $50 and a daily pass will cost $2. Neither the six-month pass nor daily fee will be enforced during the six-month introductory period.

For the love of tangy tarter sauce please do not buy and encourage this action.

[John9L]

There is an update on the fees. They are going to charge $2 per day and $50 for six months. I wonder if they did that on purpose...started with the $5 fee knowing everyone would be upset. Now they are lowering it hoping people will be say ok thats much better. Either way I'm still not paying a dime during the six months intro period. And this article also list the specific trails. On Camelback, Echo will charge a fee but Cholla will not. I can see the traffic increasing on the Cholla side.
http://www.azcentral.com/news/articles/ ... g-fee.html

[Dave1]

http://azmediavision.blogspot.com/2010/ ... ainst.html

DiCiccio to lead campaign against city's parking fee hikes

Councilman Sal DiCiccio and community members unhappy with the Phoenix Parks Board new parking fee at mountain preserves are mounting a public pressure campaign to reject the new charge.

DiCiccio, District 6 staff members and volunteers will be passing out fliers at the affected preserve parking areas this weekend urging hikers and others upset with the new fee to help rally support to kill it. Alex Tauber, a north Phoenix neighborhood activist, and other volunteers, also will be passing out fliers and encouraging like-minded citizens to register their protest. (Citizens may do so by emailing council.district.6@phoenix.gov or calling 602-262-7491).

"The vast majority of calls and emails to our office show that most people who use those parks think this fee hike is outrageous, and I do, too," DiCiccio said. "We're going to put together a comprehensive list of all those who object to yet one more fee hike by the city -- and make sure their voices are heard."

While the Parks Board has the authority to impose the fee without Council approval, the City Council must authorize enforcement of it. DiCiccio has said he will vote against that and will encourage other council members to do the same.

The councilman said the city's real financial problem is that it has unsustainable labor costs averaging $100,000 for all 14,000-plus employees, including salary and benefits. He noted that Phoenix has raised about $100 million in new taxes and fees in the past nine months to help cover revenue shortfalls.

"Rather than pick the taxpayer's pocket over and over and over again, Phoenix needs to make structural revenue and spending changes that reflect the reality of today's world – just like every business and family in Phoenix has had to do," DiCiccio said.

No vote has been scheduled yet on enforcement of the fee. The city's plan was to issue warnings for several months to educate the public about the fee before bringing it to the City Council.

Councilman Sal DiCiccio will be at Pima Canyon at 6:30 a.m. Saturday, July 17, passing out fliers and talking with hikers and trail bikers. Pima Canyon is at the east end of South Mountain. To reach there, exit I-10 at Elliott Road, turn north on 48th Street and turn left into Pima Canyon just as 48th Street bends eastward and turns into Guadalupe. Drive past the guard booth at the entrance to Pima Canyon and go to the armadas at the end, next to the trail head.

[joebartels]

"Rather than pick the taxpayer's pocket over and over and over again, Phoenix needs to make structural revenue and spending changes that reflect the reality of today's world – just like every business and family in Phoenix has had to do," DiCiccio said.

He's on target about that!
It's not like you go to your boss and say "you'll need to start paying me on my days off, I can swing it under the new economy".
Make it work

[jdsteele]

Of course, I don't like paying any more taxes and fees than I already do. However, I'd feel better about a trailhead fee if I knew it was actually going to support the trail system(s). Unfortunately, this fee just goes right into the general fund.

[hikeaz]

A Phoenix City Council decision on giving park rangers the authority to issue $50 citations to park users who fail to pay a new $2-a-day fee for parking at certain city parks has been postponed until next month.

The council voted Sept. 15 to table the issue until Oct. 6. If the council ultimately approves the measure, park users would have a six-month grace period before park rangers begin enforcement, officials have said. Then, beginning next March, those who fail to pay the fee could receive a ticket carrying a $50 penalty for each violation.

In July, the Phoenix Parks and Recreation Board voted to impose a $2-a-day fee for parking at parks around Phoenix. The fees are meant to ease Phoenix's budget woes and prevent service cuts, officials have said.

[big_load]

Maybe they could claim state sovereignty over the air and let a concession for contractors to collect a breathing tax.

[hikeaz]

Very good news. City staff and the Parks Department will be recommending withdrawal of the item that would create a new parking fee at parks. The council may end up looking at this fee increase item next March, which would coincide with the budget discussions. This issue is not over, but what this does is provide more time to help people become aware of the problems at city hall and the shifting of fees and taxes onto the public rather than the City of Phoenix taking responsibility for fixing its fiscal malfeasance internally.

Please view the video that explains why the city of Phoenix is raising taxes and fees instead of restructuring to accommodate today's economy. The link to a short, virus-free video is HERE >> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CmAji1L4k_A

Budget & Research document showing average city employee (of which there are more than 14,000) cost at almost $100,000, look here http://phoenix.gov/webcms/groups/intern ... 042170.pdf