Streetlight improvement district, budget approved for Blossom Rock Phase 2

By Richard Dyer
Mail | X: @RHDyer

A streetlight improvement district has been formed for Blossom Rock Phase 2, 94 lights ordered for installation and a final budget adopted for the district for fiscal year 2025-26.

The Apache Junction City Council voted unanimously Dec. 3 as part of a consent agenda with other items to approve forming the district, ordering the lights and setting the budget.

It includes a $1.20 tax rate levy on each $100 of assessed value to provide a fund for the annual expenses of the streetlight improvement district. The amount is to be collected in the same manner as the collection of general city taxes, according to a council document.

Assuming a parcel full cash valuation of $340,000 and an approximate net assessed limited property valuation of $15,000, the district portion of a tax bill for a homeowner will be approximately $15 per month or $180 annually.

With the creation of the district, power expenses of streetlights are to be paid by the levy and collection of taxes based on the number of properties within the district, City Engineer Emile Schmid wrote in a memo to council.

Streetlight improvement districts “are created by the initial submittal of a petition to the city to form a SLID, and the subsequent approval of three separate resolutions: 1) the intent to form a SLID; 2) ordering the installation of streetlights within the SLID, and 3) setting forth the initial annual SLID budget,” it states.

All 691 lots within Phase 2 are owned by Brookfield Properties Development, which submitted to the city a unanimous petition for the district along with an exhibit showing the boundary of the district, it states.

Richard H. Dyer can be reached at rdyer@iniusa.org, or on X @rhdyer. To voice your opinion on this story, connect with us at AzOpinions@iniusa.org.

Richard Dyer
Managing Editor | East Valley

rdyer@iniusa.org

Meet Richard
Richard Dyer has worked at Independent Newsmedia Inc. USA since 1987, starting his career in Apache Junction as a copy editor and being promoted over the years to work as the editor of the Mesa Independent, news services editor for the East Valley office in Apache Junction, managing editor for the East Valley office, news services editor for the East Valley office and eventually also for the newspapers at INI’s then-Chandler office, managing editor again and as a news editor covering Apache Junction/Gold Canyon and Queen Creek. He helped start the Florence Independent while the news editor covering Apache Junction and Mesa news. In January 2023, he became associate managing editor for the East Valley newspapers and in August 2023 became managing editor for the East Valley newspapers of Chandler/Tempe, Gilbert, Queen Creek, Florence, Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon, while also reporting on Mesa and Apache Junction/Gold Canyon.  

Community: Since 2009, he has worked as a volunteer to design The Blue Guitar Magazine, Blue Guitar Jr. magazine and Unstrung magazine, which are projects of The Arizona Consortium for the Arts; and since 2014, has been overseeing the art submissions. 

Education: University of Arizona with a master of arts in journalism and a bachelor of science in agricultural communication. Also continuing education at Mesa Community College in welding in a metal art sculpture class.

Random fact: Saw his first tornado on May 31, 2010, which was classified as an EF-2, as part of a stormchasing tour group.

Hobbies: He is an artist of welded-steel sculptures, selling his artwork at juried and non-juried art shows.