Mayor Friedel and some council members, plus their advocates from Reclaim Our Town (ROT), seem bent on walking away from any kind of grant funding of late.
The current sidewalk infill program could be the last “outside” money we’ll ever see from a grant, as this group is now turning down about every dime of grant money, most recently including electric vehicle site plans (100% grant funded), and “Safe Streets and Roads for All” funding ($260K grant plus $60K local funded) … because?
Councilman Skillicorn even boasted about it on social media writing, “Last night FH, AZ, rejected woke DEI road diets 5-2. Earl, Friedel, Toth, Watts and Skillicorn voted to kill woke Vision Zero.” And in the meantime, Skillicorn spends time at the state legislature testifying for legislative bills to take away other types of city/town funding scenarios, just like he took a position against the town, supporting the loss of nearly $1M in rental tax funding. I have to wonder what the end game is.
I can think of no reasons to look free infrastructure money in the face and say “no.” After all, it was the council last year that told staff to chase those grant opportunities. So, they did – only to get it kicked back in their face after doing the application homework. The work resulted in the grants being offered. Staff did their job. When will the council?
So, the needs remain: Lake liner, street repairs, school district safety needs, community center repairs. The list goes on and on. And yet we turn down free money and even campaign to lose more revenue sources at the state legislature. The town may not even be considered the next time they apply for a grant.
This is a disastrous strategy by the amateur “new majority.”
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