TUCSON, Ariz (KGUN) — The City of Tucson says its’ new budget takes care of city services, adds money to hire more police and builds competitive pay for city workers but the city had to raise some fees to help balance the budget.
Police protection is just part of a wide range of services Tucson has to pay for at a time when a change in state tax policy has less money going from state to city governments..
Part of paying for that includes the city raising some of its fees.
Some services like solid waste are required to pay their own way as if they were a private business.
Fees for 95 gallon cans— the largest home trash cans—went up to 23 dollars a month in the middle of this year. They will rise to 26 dollars over the next three years.
Tucson is also adding three dollars per month for what it calls a Clean City fee to help the city’s general fund cover the cost of clearing illegal dumping and graffiti cleanup.
Water is also a self supporting fund. Tucson Water will be adding 3.5 percent to bills each year for the next three years.
City Golf will charge two dollars more per round. Frank Mendoza is thinking about more than the hit to his golf game.
“Oh, yeah, it's hard enough for families, you know. Thank God, my kids are older and they're grown, but I got grandkids, and yes, it's hard on them, you know. Yes, it's very hard on families right now.”
The Parks Department’s Kidco after school program will rise from fifty dollars a month to $67.50.
City pools will charge lap swimmers two dollars a visit or thirty dollars per month.
Norma Acuna says rates are going up but incomes are not.
“And then we have families to raise, and then we have rents to pay, which are actually overboard, and then groceries are going up, so this for the summer for them, we wouldn't be able to take them, you know? Right now it's like we barely either come one weekend of the month, so it would be hard if it would actually go up.”
Growth adds to the city’s tax base but adds demand for city services too.
Construction related zoning and development fees will be going up between five and 25 percent depending on what the fee is for.
