The year 2013 was a year that the Town Council made some progress in moving beyond the recession focus of just keeping the town’s head above water.

The council adopted an Economic Development Plan designed to attract new business to the community and help existing business maintain success.

Economic development is both an operational priority and strategic planning goal for the town.

The plan outlines priorities for business attraction targeting several areas of focus including professional, technical and scientific services; healthcare, medical, biosciences and wellness; finance and insurance; and arts, entertainment and recreation (tourism).

In the wake of the Great Recession, homebuilding is no longer a strong economic engine her.

Fountain Hills needs to focus its energies now on attracting businesses that will provide jobs in the future, according to Town Manager Ken Buchanan.

Pavement plan

With streets falling into disrepair, the council chose to make pavement management a priority behind only public safety in resources.

The pavement management plan ultimately approved by the council dedicates $1 million annually to maintaining streets. The program would fund $9.7 million over the next eight years.

The 2013/14 budget got the ball rolling with a $2 million allocation.

The council allocated $867,000 to begin the program this past spring, before the new fiscal year, meaning transfers were necessary within the previous fiscal year budget.

Going forward in future fiscal years, Buchanan has recommended dedicating the town’s share of the Vehicle License Tax received from the state. This is about $750,000.

Additional funding to achieve the $1 million comes in reductions to staff and programming.

Avenue facelift

A plan to renovate the median on the Avenue of the Fountains was set to begin early in the summer of 2013 when the council abruptly pulled the plug, citing scheduling and cost estimates.

The town has budgeted $1.6 million for the project, and that funding remains available through June of 2014.

The low bidder was $1.4 million, making the project within budget, but unforeseen issues and a tight construction schedule prompted the council to reject the bids.

Town officials determined that necessary work on the median included replacing irrigation and electrical systems as well as replacing old water features that were leaking as much as 260,000 gallons of water per year.

The work is expected to go forward on a six-month schedule beginning early spring 2014.

Station relocation

Consideration of the relocation of Fire Station No. 2 has been ongoing for some time, but during the past year the project moved once again to the forefront with the council asking staff to focus on two potential sites and make a recommendation for which one will work better.

Locations on Shea Boulevard just east of Palisades and Fountain Hills Boulevard just north of Shea are being evaluated.

Rural/Metro determined a couple of years ago that the station would need to be relocated for the private service provider to meet its contract obligation regarding response times.

A new site would also allow a better balance of calls and workload between the two facilities in town.

Construction of the new station is included in the capital budget plan for the 2015 fiscal year.

Transit study

Seeing a growing issue in the need for public transportation for the elderly and disabled, the council asked the Regional Public Transportation Authority for help in finding a solution.

A Valley Metro representative told the council a preliminary study indicates an aging population in Fountain Hills is likely to have significant impact on the community’s future transit and transportation needs.

The town had asked Valley Metro to conduct a transit needs study at a cost of $60,000.

The survey was the first step in developing recommendations for long-term transit goals here.

Work on the study being conducted by Valley Metro continues into the new year with a possible proposal ready for consideration with the budget discussions for next fiscal year.

Of note

Other items of note for Fountain Hills during the past year include the opening of the town’s first and only medical marijuana dispensary.

The dispensary opened quietly without fanfare in the summer and has continued a low-key operation through the end of the year.

News items for 2013 that will require continued watch into 2014 include a water rate increase proposal that Chaparral City Water Company/EPCOR has presented to the Arizona Corporation Commission.

A hearing before the ACC is scheduled for February.

The request could increase residential water rates between 35 and 40 percent.

In December developer MCO Properties announced it is asking the town for some zoning adjustments to its Adero Canyon property so it can move forward with development.

The Planning Commission and the council will be considering the zoning requests early this coming year with possible construction by the end of the 2014 calendar year.