Richard Smith
Independent Newsmedia

At their June 6 meeting, the Surprise City Council approved sending three General Obligation Bond questions in the areas of Public Safety, Traffic Congestion Mitigation and Pavement Preservation to the ballot in a Special Election on Nov. 7, 2017.

All registered voters in Surprise will receive a ballot by mail.

Residents are invited to learn more about the projects, costs and voter information at a specialized website Decide Surprise www.surpriseaz.gov/decidesurprise.

"We will be ready, as we did last year, to provide information and answer any questions on these projects, on the cost of the projects, on the timeframe and the ongoing operating costs," City Manager Bob Wingenroth said during the meeting.

The city's 2016 bond election contained one $63 million question with nine bond projects in the areas of public safety, transportation and recreation. Voters narrowly rejected that bond with 23,858 no votes and 23,411 yes votes.

The projects included in the following questions were based on community needs, comments received from residents during the 2016 bond election outreach process, and input received during and after the Surprise Capital Improvement Funding Exploratory Committee’s April 19 meeting.

Seven 2016 bond projects return, though the Police Property & Evidence Facility expansion last year has been modified into a new facility with a police training facility replacing the current evidence center. Neither recreation project returned, and the pavement preservation category is new.

Bond projects are:

Question #1: Voters in Surprise are asked to consider a $34 million public safety bond proposal to: build a Public Safety Evidence & Readiness Center; renovate an existing city facility into a Police Training Facility; acquire Land for Future Fire Station/Police Substation & Park; build a new Fire Station at Cactus and Litchfield roads; build  a new Fire Station along 163rd Avenue, south of Happy Valley Road, to replace the current temporary station; and build a Public Works Operations Facility to centralize  operations. The annual cost for a homeowner would be approximately $26 per $100,000 in Limited Property Value.

Question #2: Voters in Surprise are asked to consider a $15.5 million street bond proposal to provide funds to plan, design, construct and improve Waddell, Greenway and Litchfield roads. The annual cost for a homeowner would be approximately $12 per $100,000 in Limited Property Value.

Question #3: Voters in Surprise are asked to consider a $10 million street pavement preservation bond proposal to plan, design, construct, replace and improve deteriorated street pavement citywide. The annual cost for a homeowner would be approximately $8 per $100,000 in Limited Property Value (LPV).

Voter feedback led the city to remove the recreation proposals, a a $19.1 million multi-generational recreation center with athletic fields and a $10 million aquatic center expansion with 8-lane pool and bleachers. Mr. Wingenroth said in prior meetings that the city will seek public-private partnerships for recreation projects.

"I'm in favor of the bond but I don't want to forget that recreation piece," Councilman John Williams said. "We talked a lot about millennials tonight and we can't forget that. I know staff has been working on alternative options."

General Obligation Bonds are sold to investors who are repaid with interest. The repayment comes from a secondary property tax, which Surprise does not currently have.   If all three questions are approved, the annual secondary property tax could be up to $46 per $100,000 in Limited Property Value, or approximately $4 per month.  ($92 per $200,000 in Limited Property Value, or approximately $8 per month).  Residents can determine the exact cost to your property by following the steps listed at www.surpriseaz.gov/decidesurprise.

Educational public meetings will be scheduled ahead of the election. Meeting dates and locations will be posted at www.surpriseaz.gov/decidesurprise.

Voter registration for this election closes on Oct. 9. You can register online by visiting:https://recorder.maricopa.gov/elections/registrationform.aspx, or stop by the Surprise City Clerk’s Office in person Monday thru Friday 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.