phoenix rulers may ask you to vote to give the phoenix cops $4 million! Original Article Possible Phoenix bond up $8 mil for police, others Residents would vote on $858 mil in March Monica Alonzo-Dunsmoor The Arizona Republic Oct. 28, 2005 12:00 AM PHOENIX - An executive committee bumped the upcoming bond program on Thursday by nearly $8 million, bringing the total package that could go before voters to $857.8 million. The Citizens Bond Executive Committee exceeded the $850 million they initially approved so they could increase funding for areas like public safety, economic development and neighborhood revitalization. The police department got the biggest budget boost with an additional $4 million recommended to buy land that would house future police stations, expand their communication system and bolster the Family Advocacy Center. "You have to prioritize and figure out how to best use taxpayers' money," said Paul Johnson, a former Phoenix mayor and committee chairman. "Clearly, public safety came out overwhelmingly as Number 1." The committee deviated from the recommendations of about 700 volunteers who spent weeks on 14 different subcommittees whittling more than $3 billion in project requests to the $850 million. There were also three other subcommittees that recommended the size of the bond program, set limits on maintenance and operation expenses and handled public relations. The committee approved an additional $3 million for the Ben Avery Shooting Facility and the Pioneer Arizona Living History Village & Museum. But that increase meant a $1 million cut from water management and trail renovations at city parks and $2 million taken from money assigned for renovations to Heritage and Science Park in downtown Phoenix. As committee members spent the morning hashing out what projects should get more or less funding, they were careful that any increases not rise above 1 percent, or $8.5 million, of the initial amount. City officials said that going above that amount would likely mean a tax increase. The additional money approved also was carefully spread across the city. They earmarked additional money to revitalize abandoned or underutilized retail strip malls and big box stores and to create a park on the city's west side. They set aside more money for youth programs for Reach 11, a recreation area in the northeast, for buying land for the 620 mountain preserve in far south Phoenix and also land for future police stations in northwest, northeast and southwest. Mark Briggs, who headed the city's Historic Preservation Committee, urged that the committee members not go too far and leave no flexibility for the council members, who will consider their recommendations in November. "I think we're asking for trouble," he said, voicing concerns about not closely sticking with subcommittee recommendations. He said he'd been contacted by council members whose projects didn't make the cut and was concerned that elected officials would move money around. If that happened, he believes it would "be a mockery of the time we've spent and citizens have spent on this." "I'm concerned we're going to have a second round of winners and losers," he said. Johnson said he hopes the City Council makes few, if any, changes. Some members made a last-ditch plea for projects and organizations didn't get any money, or they believed didn't get enough, in the initial rounds of recommendations. Barry Wong, the co-chair of the Drainage and Storm Sewer Subcommittee, tried at least three different times - unsuccessfully - to get as much as $17.8 million more dedicated to that area. "I know this isn't as sexy as parks or other subcommittees, but this issue is a very important and serious issue," he said. The City Council is expected to consider the executive committee's recommendations in November before adopting a final list that will appear on a March 14 ballot.