SE Valley Times

Gilbert, Ariz. – Last night, the Gilbert Town Council voted to approve the town's annual budget, secondary property tax levy and Capital Improvement Plan for the upcoming fiscal year. 

Fiscal Year (FY) 2023-24 runs from July 1, 2023 through June 30, 2024.  

https://youtu.be/JJL5HhBTtvA

Final Budget

Gilbert’s maximum budget for FY 2023-24 is $2,049,501,300. 

 The annual budget outlines Gilbert’s projected expenses and revenue for next fiscal year and serves as a comprehensive guide to ensuring the town will remain a responsible stewardship of taxpayer dollars while continuing to: 

• Deliver core services 
• Support vital infrastructure projects 
• Maintain exceptional community standards 

The final budget for the upcoming fiscal year is an increase from the previous year, predominately due to increased activity in Gilbert’sCapital Improvement Program.  

 The town will see a rise in voter-approved transportation bond projects and additional water projects next year that are essential to supporting our growing town’s infrastructure.  

Here are some of the projects included in Gilbert’s FY 2023-24 budget: 

• Rolling out Gilbert’s very first all-electric fire truck 
• Replacing the portable radios for Gilbert’s police and fire departments 
• Expanding the Gilbert Police Department’s Dispatch Center 
• Designing and planning for the new Family Advocacy Center construction 
• Removing non-essential grass at some of town’s municipal buildings and other locations to help reduce the Gilbert’s outdoor water usage as we face a future with less water from the Colorado River
• Designing the next phases of Gilbert Regional Park and Desert Sky Park and a new Education Center for the Riparian Preserve 
• Renovating the Gilbert Community Center’s kitchen where meals are prepared for the town’s senior program  
• Replacing the playgrounds at Cactus Yards, Freestone Recreation Center and Page Park 
• Renovating the restrooms at the Riparian Preserve, McQueen Park and Activity Center, Freestone Park and Crossroads Park 
• Replacing the shade coverings at McQueen Park's baseball dugouts 

Secondary Property Tax Levy

On Tuesday, the town council also approved an amended secondary property tax levy for the upcoming fiscal year of $31,335,000 (estimated tax rate of $0.9800 per $100 of assessed value). 

This tax rate is a reduction from the $0.99 rate adopted each of the prior five years.  

The cost of the levy is divided among all the homes and businesses in Gilbert.  

Gilbert’s secondary property tax is used to repay debt that voters have authorized on a ballot, like transportation or public safety projects.  

Gilbert does not have a primary property tax, which is often used for general operations like police, fire or parks. Instead, the town uses sales tax money to pay for these things.  

Capital Improvement Plan

The FY 2023-24 Capital Improvement Plan (CIP) approved yesterday outlines the estimated costs of Gilbert’s infrastructure needs for the next fiscal year and identifies the funding sources for projects. 

The FY 2023-24 CIP includes $1.36 billion in projects: 

• $917 million in carry forward funding for projects that began in a prior fiscal year and are still in progress 
• $447 million in new funding for upcoming projects 

All Gilbert Town Council meetings are open to the public and streamed live on gilbertaz.gov/GilbertLive. Watch a replay of Tuesday's council meeting on Gilbert’s YouTube channel. 

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Original source can be found here.