Fitch Rates Casa Grande 'AA' in Excise Tax Debt, Outlook Stable Fitch Rates Casa Grande 'AA' in Excise Tax Debt, Outlook Stable

Fitch Ratings has assigned the City of Casa Grande an ‘AA’ grade in excise tax rate:

-Approximately $8.0 million excise tax revenue refunding obligations, series 2012.

The bonds are scheduled for a negotiated sale the week of Feb. 6th. Proceeds will be used to refund various outstanding obligations for savings and to pay related costs of issuance.

In addition, Fitch affirms the following ratings for Casa Grande:

--$25.1 million in outstanding general obligation (GO) bonds at 'AA';
--$32.7 million in outstanding excise tax revenue bonds at 'AA'.

According to Fitch Ratings, the rating outlook is stable in Casa Grande.

Dual-headquartered in New York and London with 51 offices worldwide, Fitch Ratings is a global rating agency dedicated to providing value beyond the rating through independent and prospective credit opinions, research and data.

View the entire Press Release from Fitch Ratings

HOA Academy in Casa Grande HOA Academy in Casa Grande

Do your HOA officers and board members need some “basic training” on how an HOA is supposed to work? The city of Casa Grande is pleased to announce that The Leadership Centre is offering a six-session HOA Academy in Casa Grande beginning in February. The Leadership Centre has provided training opportunities for HOAs in the East Valley for many years.

Classes are FREE for Casa Grande residents, $10 for non-Casa Grande residents. Sessions are planned from 6:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the Council Chambers located at 510 E. Florence Blvd., Casa Grande, AZ 85122.

CLASS SCHEDULE/COURSE DESCRIPTION

February 8, 2012 - HOA 101
An overview of the responsibilities and challenges associated with running a neighborhood or homeowner association. Obligations of the board of directors, mem¬bers, committees, employees, professional advisors, and vendors will be reviewed.

February 22, 2012 - Legal Aspects of HOAs
This class will provide participants with a practical foundation of the legal components of homeowner associations. This includes creation and enforcement of codes, covenants and restrictions (C, C & Rs), legal jurisdictions and obligations of HOAs, and rights of homeowners.

March 7, 2012 - Budgets, Financial Statements & Reserves
This class will cover fiduciary responsibilities, reserve amounts, budgets and audits.

March 21, 2012 - CC & Rs
What is good policy? Can they be changed? This class will discuss how to enforce Covenants, Conditions and Restrictions with fairness.

April 4, 2012 - How to Conduct Successful & Peaceful Meetings
Topics include: how to address security issues, creating an agenda that will work for you, ground rules, ice breakers and keeping minutes.

April 18, 2012 - Selecting a Management Company & Other Vendors
This class teaches the steps in selecting a management company and other impor¬tant vendors who work for the association (landscape companies, pool maintenance, etc.), how to determine specifications, request bids, review and analyze bids and make final selections.

For more information and to register, contact The Leadership Centre at (480) 420-8521 or register online, www.theleadershipcentre.org
 

Animal Care & Adoption Center Receives Grant Animal Care & Adoption Center Receives Grant

The Arizona Companion Animal Spay/Neuter Committee has awarded the city of Casa Grande Animal Care & Adoption Center a $10,000 grant to assist with spay and neuter surgery costs.  The city of Casa Grande was one of 25 agencies statewide to receive these grant funds.  The grant funds were made available from the support and sales of the Arizona Companion Animal Spay and Neuter Pet Friendly License Plates. 

Beginning on January 3, Casa Grande residents will be able to spay or neuter their pets at no cost.  Only two pets per household are eligible.  Pets must be at least 4 months old and have a current rabies vaccine.  Pet owners who are interested in participating in the program must fill out an application to receive a voucher.  Application forms are available at the Finance Office (510 E. Florence Blvd., Building B) or by calling the Animal Care & Adoption Center at (520) 426-9300.  The voucher only covers the cost of the spay or neuter; any additional expenses, such as pain medications, other vaccinations, blood tests, E-collars, etc. are the responsibility of the pet owner. The pet owner has no obligation to receive additional services other than the rabies vaccination.

According to the Humane Society of the United States, a cat and her kittens can produce over 400,000 offspring in seven years.

“We cannot eliminate pet overpopulation, but we can reduce it, and the only way to do that is to spay and neuter your pet,” said Linda Garcia, senior animal control officer for the City.  “We encourage all pet owners in Casa Grande to participate in this program.”

The Animal Care & Adoption Center will continue to give out spay and neuter vouchers to Casa Grande residents until grant money is depleted.   

To learn more about the Arizona Companion Animal Spay and Neuter Pet Friendly License Plates, visit www.azpetplates.org

AZ Pet Plates

New Online Bill Pay System New Online Bill Pay System

Residents wanting to view and pay their city utility bill online can now do so via WebView, a web portal that gives customers 24/7 access to view their account information and make secure payments.

Here are some other benefits of using WebView:

Fast, Easy, Free
There is no cost to use WebView, and signing up is simple. Once you enroll, you can view statements and make instant payments at your convenience, using your payment method of choice.

Email notifications
WebView not only allows you to easily view your detailed statements online, but you can sign up to be notified each time a new statement is available. Your statements will remain online for an extended period of time, so you do not have to worry about losing your statement or having it lost in the mail.

Online Payments
WebView accepts payments from your checking account, VISA, Mastercard, Discover and American Express credit cards. You will save a stamp by not having to send a check in the mail, and save time by having payment records available online to manage your bills

To sign up, visit https://casa-grande.webview.com. For questions or concerns, call the Finance Department at (520) 421-8601 or email, onlinepay@casagrandeaz.gov

New Community Services Director Hired New Community Services Director Hired

William E. Schwind, currently the Deputy Director of Parks, Recreation and Library Services for the City of Glendale, has been selected as the new City of Casa Grande Community Services Director.  Schwind, who assumes the director’s position after the retirement of long-time city employee Mary Johnson, is scheduled to begin his duties on January 9th.

Casa Grande City Manager Jim Thompson made the announcement and noted that he was pleased to have had such a strong field of candidates from which to choose.  “After interviews were held on December 8th, several highly qualified candidates emerged as our finalists.  I think Bill is a great fit for our organization and for the community.  We’re very happy to have been able to make the job offer to Bill and have him accept,” Thompson explained.  The City’s Community Services Department includes four divisions; Library, Parks Maintenance, Recreation and the Dave White Municipal Golf Course.

Schwind actually began his career in parks and recreation with the City of Casa Grande, serving as a recreation staff member from 1984 to 1989.  He left Casa Grande to become the Community Services Director for the City of Caldwell, Idaho, where he served until 1994.  He then returned to Arizona, holding the position of Parks and Recreation Director for the Town of Payson for 12 years until moving to his position in Glendale in 2006.

The new director earned a Bachelor’s Degree in Public Administration from Arizona State University.  In addition, he holds professional certification from the National Recreation and Parks Association, and is a graduate of ASU’s Certified Public Manager program.


City Council Meetings to Debut on Channel 11 City Council Meetings to Debut on Channel 11

Residents who just can’t make it to City Council meetings will now be able to watch them in the comfort of their homes. In an effort to encourage citizen participation and disseminate public information in a timely manner, the city of Casa Grande will begin televising City Council meetings on Cox Channel 11. The first Council meeting scheduled to air on Channel 11 will be on Monday, December 5, 2011 at 7 p.m. The meeting will be broadcast LIVE and rebroadcast (as every Council meeting thereafter) on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays & Sundays at 12 p.m. and 8 p.m. Each Council meeting will be broadcast for a period of two weeks.

“We are committed to making city government transparent to our citizens,” says Agustin Avalos, public information officer for the city of Casa Grande. “Televising Council meetings will allow us to provide our residents with the most current relevant information related to city projects, policies and procedures. We understand that many residents cannot attend Council meetings -- this is our way of bringing city government to our residents,” continues Avalos.

Residents interested in obtaining a DVD copy of a Council meeting can contact the Public Information Office at (520) 421-8627 or email, aavalos@casagrandeaz.gov

Channel 11 is a government access channel programmed and operated by the city of Casa Grande. The channel is available to Cox cable subscribers who live in Casa Grande. Channel 11 is dedicated to providing information to the citizens of Casa Grande about services, facilities, functions, and operations of the City.

To view the current Channel 11 programming schedule, visit www.casagrandeaz.gov/web/guest/ch11