Chandler city manager wants to improve bottom line

By Jason W. Brooks
Mail | X: @JasonWBrooks2

When John Pombier took over as Chandler’s city manager last year, he took an active role in putting together the fiscal 2027 city budget.

So much so, that he’s the vocal spokesperson for the changes going into the budget for fiscal 2027, which runs from July 1 of this year through June 30, 2027.

And, he says, he’s following Council’s direction to look for more revenue-generating opportunities without raising taxes.

“I have a lot of positive energy about what we’re doing here in Chandler,” Pombier said. “It’s a tough balance, because I want the city run like a business, but we can’t simply stop doing most things if they’re not profitable. It must be done run as caring and as compassionately as it can be.”

Pombier said the tough aspect will be not how to get more revenue out of the same residents and businesses.

It’s more about helping them become more prosperous while growing with new businesses and having city government run efficiently and taking full advantage of modern technology, he said.

“It’s a paradigm shift,” Pombier said. “There are 13.5 positions we have to add based on workload, and there are some we’re adding because they will help us generate more revenue,” Pombier said.

The total of $475 million in bonds that passed by huge margins last fall will give the city funds to proceed with several major projects, including long-neglected infrastructure upgrades. A handful of water main breaks and other highly visible public works breakdowns have highlighted the need for expensive work of much of its underground mains, water and sewer lines, manholes and other out-of-view infrastructure.

Some of this will force the city to dig deep into bond money, such as the $131 million Pecos Water Treatment Plant improvements planned for fiscal 2027. And Pombier said the city is so far behind on upgrading infrastructure built in the 1990s, 1980s or before, expense is no longer the only obstacle.

Recently retired Public Works Director John Knudsen called for working on at least 20 miles per year in some types of street work.

“Even with unlimited money, 20 miles a year of projects would mean many more streets torn up on a nearly perpetual basis, much more so than what we’re seeing right now,” Pombier said.

The city manager said in addition to looking for revenue-producing new positions, reorganization of departments is a possibility as well.

“We’ve already started to organize our Public Works department a little bit,” Pombier said. “Every position must fit core function. But we must also be creative in creating efficiencies.”

The Chandler Fire Department is starting its own ambulance service on Jan. 1, so the hiring of drivers and other and others to support that operation is going to make the overall number of new hires seem bloated in fiscal 2027, Pombier said. That was part of council’s decision in 2024 to allow its contract with Maricopa Ambulance to expire at the end of 2026.

And in a budget work session, he outlined some new positions in various departments that will initially be a new expense.

One new position Pombier proposes adding is a cybersecurity senior analyst. He said he believes the security and efficiency savings there is an example of a revenue positive effect that might or might not be visible within the first fiscal year.

“In the out years, we’re going to see these positions pay us back,” he said.

The city manager said he’ll be evaluating many types of positions, probably excluding core and union-contracted employees such as police officers, over the weeks and months ahead.

“Council wants me to oversee the same or better customer service, at little or no cost to taxpayers, and I think that’s a great message,” Pombier said.

Email Jason W. Brooks at jbrooks@iniusa.org. Please submit comments at yourvalley.net/letters or email them to AzOpinions@iniusa.org. We are committed to publishing a wide variety of reader opinions, as long as they meet our Civility Guidelines.

Jason W. Brooks
News Editor | Chandler Independent

Jason W. Brooks joined Independent Newsmedia, Inc., USA, in July 2021 as an associate editor. After a year covering Buckeye, he has covered Chandler since the fall of 2022, in addition to assisting the Daily Independent throughout his time at INI.

Education: University of New Mexico, bachelor of arts in journalism and mass communication, print emphasis, English minor.

Random Fact: He and his siblings witnessed a Space Shuttle launch and landing in the same year in person, on opposite coasts.

Hobbies: Karaoke, bicycling and American Sign Language.

Community: He supports animal shelters.