BOARD TO SUPERVISE DISTRIBUTION OF VOTER-OK'D BLOCK WATCH FUNDS
Byline: By Russ Hemphill, THE PHOENIX GAZETTE
More police. More firefighters. That was the easy part of Proposition 301.
Now for the hard part: What kinds of small-scale citizens programs did voters want when they approved the 0.1 percent sales tax increase by a 3-1 margin?
Included in the $12.6 million tax increase was $700,000 for expanding Block Watch programs.
The City Council will appoint a 19-person board to oversee the effort and it could meet as soon as mid-December.
On Wednesday, council members John Nelson and Skip Rimsza endorsed the board's makeup and general guidelines.
Under the guidelines, any proposal would have to fight crime in some way.
Councilman Soloman Leija said he was concerned the guidelines were written so tightly that they would keep social programs like nighttime basketball leagues or arts projects -- aimed at giving youths things to do -- from receiving Block Watch money.
Nelson and Rimsza approved the guidelines after assuring that social programs could be funded if backers could show they had a good chance of fighting crime.
Richard Fox, chairman of the Phoenix Block Watch Advisory Board and an early backer of the Block Watch portion of Proposition 301, said social programs will be funded.
''Anything that would deal with youth at risk,'' Fox said.
The board could be sifting through proposals by early next year. Suggested guidelines would cap the proposals at $10,000 and limit them to two years.
The board to be appointed by the council will include the chair of the Block Watch Commission, president of the Block Watch Advisory Board, two representatives from each of the eight council districts and a police representative.