Replacing Globe's 100-plus-year-old firehouse (pictured) is a priority for City Council and a central feature of the City's goals to rebuild aging infrastructure and increase public safety. Photo provided
Home » Government » Managing City projects and day-to-day operations part of the complexities of local governance

Managing City projects and day-to-day operations part of the complexities of local governance

Every year, Globe City Council puts significant effort into creating a budget that maintains the levels of service residents have come to expect and serve the over 30,000 annual visitors passing through the main economic hub of Copper Corridor, while planning for future growth of the community.

The work is a never-ending process that begins with creating a vision through the recently updated Strategic Action Plan, followed by balancing the financial interests of taxpayers and seeking outside funding to help modernize infrastructure and fund quality-of-life projects.

Even if it looks like nothing is happening, behind the scenes, City Council and staff are working, planning and collaborating with strategic partners to fulfill the City’s vision for the future.

“The overarching dynamic here is that running a modern city—whether you’re urban or rural—is a very complex matter,” says Assistant City Manager Linda Oddonetto. “There are many, many layers to it, and the gears are moving all at once. So even if it seems that something is not moving, it’s never sitting idle.”

In addition to providing services to the public—such as water and sewer; police and fire, and maintenance of public properties including parks—the City of Globe regularly works with outside agencies and organizations that serve the needs of the wider population of Eastern Arizona.

As a government agency funded by tax dollars paid by its residents, the City is also bound by laws and regulations to ensure the safety of the general public and tightly control the ways tax dollars are collected and spent for any given action.

“It might be hard to comprehend why improvements take so long, but it’s a way to protect taxpayer money, to ensure that a safe, quality product, project or program is being developed and delivered,” Oddonetto says. “What we’re really doing is community building, both literally and figuratively.”

The legal requirements are only a part of the dynamics City Council has to consider when it plans future improvements. The costs to upgrade Globe’s 100-plus-year-old infrastructure would be prohibitive if Council did not take advantage of funding opportunities provided by state and federal governments, and business interests that utilize public assets in order to operate.

To further offset costs, the City rolled out its new fee structure on May 1, so new development helps pay for expanded infrastructure.

“The city is not profit-driven, but we are absolutely recovery-driven,” Oddonetto adds. “We want to continue to offer outstanding core services to better the quality of life for our residents and provide a vision for the future that everybody has an opportunity to participate in.”

In 2018, the City established its Economic and Community Development Department and hired a lobbyist to advocate on a national level, resulting in millions of additional dollars to fund a number of projects.

A unified City Council has remained laser-focused on its goals for growth and stabilization of community assets. The results are appearing all around the city with the completion of long-term projects such as the reopening of the community pool and the reconstruction of Connie’s Bridge. There have also been improvements in services such as water and sewer infrastructure, with a focus on blight reduction and beautification of parks and streets.

“People expect things to happen quickly,” says Councilman Freddy Rios. “But as far as managing these projects, we have to go from the idea of how we’re going to fix or build something and then a process of surveying, budgeting, planning, getting certified engineers—whether it’s a building or a water main—and then getting the project team together.”

Once the project reaches that point, Council has to find a way to fund it, whether additional dollars come from loans, grants or donations. The planning phase of a project alone can take as much as six to eight months before it goes out for a bid to contractors, and then it can take as much as two to four years to complete.

A rendering of the proposed firehouse to be built on the site of a former medical building on East Ash Street in Globe. Image provided

One example of a long-term project in the works is the construction of a new Fire Department building and a modern ladder truck that will serve the entire region.

To that end, Mayor Gameros and members of City Council and staff members made the third annual visit to Washington DC in April to lobby for funds to offset the estimated $13 million cost for the new building and $2.6 million needed for the aerial fire truck, which has been reserved with a $25,000 down payment.

Both projects are vital to the safety of Globe firefighters and the region. The previous ladder truck was forced into retirement because parts to repair it were no longer available. 

“Council has always focused on quality of life for our residents, hence the new Fire Department, the new ladder truck, and other apparatus,” Rios says. “Those are definitely things that will have an immediate quality of life impact for our residents and the region for that matter.”

Other projects addressed in the recent trip included seeking funds to repair and upgrade the drainage on McCormack Wash as well as new police vehicles to enhance public safety.

Additionally, the City is working to add amenities around the rehabilitated and reopened Community Pool with the construction of a Community Center Skatepark Project in order to create an all-encompassing recreation destination for residents and travelers alike.

The skatepark has been in the works for more than a year and will be funded by a Community Development Block Grant administered by the Arizona Department of Housing. There is a strict timeline attached to the funding and projects such as these usually take from three to five years.

Globe’s recent progress could not have been achieved without the concerted effort of an expanded workforce and knowledgeable leadership in key positions. City managers and staff have raised the profile of Globe as Council’s efforts have caught the attention of municipalities and representatives throughout the State.

“What we’ve done so far is a success story and all we did was stay focused on delivering our promises, not deviating from them, and not ‘chasing squirrels’,” says Councilman Mariano Gonzalez. “This Council is very much aware of what it takes to do the day-to-day job of running the City, and how much we have to back our employees to get that job done.”

Thanks to the diverse makeup of Globe City Council—Gonzalez worked for many years in Gila County Emergency Management; Rios is a Division Manager for the Arizona Water Company; Mayor Al Gameros had a decades-long career as a firefighter and Chief of the GFD; Mike Pastor has been an elected official for the City and Gila County for many years and is retired from education; and Jesse Leetham and Mike Stapleton have both operated successful businesses in Globe—there is a wealth of leadership experience in-house to tackle most situations that may arise.

“We stick to our plan and we do everything we can to complete the Strategic Action Plan throughout the year,” Gonzalez says. “Our staff knows that and they know that we’ll do the best we can to improve things, and while we’re doing it, they get to have the privilege of operating the City.”

Despite the visual signs of progress, Councilmembers and staff still have to defend their positions, although Gonzalez says he is not fielding as many complaints from the public as he did when he was first appointed to Council nearly five years ago.

“That first year, I spent a lot of time defending what we were doing,” he says. “Now people are saying, ‘Oh, we get it’. They see the improvements, and know that we’re sticking to the program, so it’s easier to explain what the future is going to look like because they see the results of all the hard work from the past.”

Gonzalez adds that there is more understanding thanks to programs like the Citizens’ Academy, a six-week course offered annually beginning in the fall that walks participants through the processes that keep local governance functioning.

“Every time we run another class, people tell us they have no idea what we do, or the behind the scenes work to make it happen,” he added. “They are very, very happy to see the inner workings of city government and say they are impressed with our staff.”

For information on the City’s future plans and a schedule of Council meeting, or to find out about upcoming programs such as the Citizen’s Academy, go to the City of Globe website at www.globeaz.gov.

About David Abbott

Journalist, writer and editor who has worked for community newspapers for more than 15 years. After four years at Davis-Monthan AFB and a few years living in Tucson, moved to California to find his fortune. He is happy to be back in Arizona, in the mountains he loves.

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